Love Grows
by auntytany
Summary: Sophia, now 3 and a half, needed her mothers less and less. Everyone could tell Brittany and Santana were proud of her but the house was quiet, too quiet. It became obvious their little princess needed some siblings. "Hold Me"'s sequel.
1. The Question

When Brittany woke up that morning, the silence seemed almost overwhelming. It was everywhere, seeping through the walls and cracks in the door. She couldn't hear a single complaint or cry; only the melody of Santana breathing deeply against her came to her ears. It hit her quite violently, even if the silence wasn't even very exceptional. It was the same silence she had woken up to every morning since Sophia had grown up. They had celebrated her third birthday a few months ago and now, their little brown-haired and blue-eyed daughter was sleeping like a normal human being. Ten hours a night and, most importantly, ten hours _straight_. Forgotten were the dark circles around their eyes and the nervous breakdowns in the middle of the night they had know too well.

Brittany, just like Santana, had been so absorbed by their routine that she hadn't realized how fast time had passed. For the first time since Sophia had graced their lives, Brittany realized that their daughter was no longer an infant. She no longer required the same amount of care and had ceased to be as dependent on her moms nowadays. She was eating without help and they barely had to watch her during her bath. Suddenly, Brittany faced the fact that Sophia wouldn't need them as much as she had used to. She let her eyebrows furrowed slightly when she realized they were now about to tackle the age of Sophia experimenting things. Discovering the world was now something Sophia would be doing on her own. The feeling that, without them, Sophia couldn't live and function instantly vanished, like a cloud of smoke blown by the wind.

Brittany could have been sad or feeling melancholic by the thought. But to be honest, she wasn't. She really wasn't. Her baby was becoming a big girl and she was so proud. Proud of Sophia and proud of herself and Santana as parents for having taught and cared for Sophia until she'd reached this stage. Deep in thought, Brittany snuggled Santana more closely into her. She travelled far into her reverie, and listened to the silence for minutes that seemed like hours. This heavy silence that now made a lot of sense.

She thought about how it had once been. They'd been so used to waking up in a hurry for years, no cuddling time possible to embrace the day. They had been used to running around to make their daughter's bottle while one of them changed her diaper or tried to make her stop crying. It had once been a well timed routine they had forgotten by now.

Brittany kissed Santana's head gingerly. The alarm would ring in an hour. They would all start the day peacefully, around a breakfast during which Sophia would still be nodding off over. One of them would help Sophia dress for school, and they would all leave for work. It was as simple as it sounded. Santana would go to her studio. Carla, her ex-assistant, had became her coworker, her equal. Santana would leave quite early, like everyday, to go fetch their daughter at school and hence, she would leave to Carla the task of closing the studio at the end of the day. Brittany would take a little longer to come back home, depending on whether the scenes she was shooting for a new movie were fine or not. Another normal day. Another happy day in a stress-free life.

Santana moved in their embrace. She cleared her throat, welcoming her husky morning voice. Waiting for her to fully wake up, Brittany stroked her hair lovingly, peacefully.

"Hey..." Santana croaked, cuddling closer. Brittany's warm skin was much more comfortable than her own pillows.

"Sleep well?" Brittany whispered around a smile.

"Huh huh..." She answered, parting to stretch her arms, eyes closed so she would not have to admit she had to wake up at some point. As long as she kept her eyes closed, she was asleep.

She did all of this under Brittany's happy gaze. She yawned, making her bones crack, taking her time on every joint, every finger. A sweet dance she made every morning since, now Brittany realized, Sophia had stopped waking them up. Santana couldn't have been more content when, with eyes still tightly shut, she fell back in Brittany's arms like a light leaf or a feather falling to the ground. Minutes flew as Brittany waited for Santana to open her eyes and officially start the day. An infinity later it seemed, Santana tilted her head up and barely opened an eye; an enamoured black pupil around a smile, filling Brittany's heart with more tenderness.

They had time before the alarm clock blared like a gunshot through the peaceful silence. They didn't need to rush. Brittany made Santana fall on her back in a gentle move and leaned on her side, watching her wife slowly waking up to the world. Santana rubbed her eyes, her face, in the second act of her morning dance.

Brittany gazed at her. Right before her eyes was her wife. She traced the same black hair and tanned skin, with the added supplements of extra shy wrinkles at the corner of her eyes. On Santana's hands, which were rubbing her face gently, sat her engagement and wedding rings firmly stuck together, which had drawn over the years, a little hollow around her finger. The diamond which always fell on the side, had hardened the skin of her pinkie, where the rock used to rub. Brittany caught sight of all these little details routine had kept her from. Now that she had time to truly look at Santana they just became truly obvious.

The more Santana stretched, the more her shirt lifted across her stomach. It let appear her usual toned muscles, the ones that had never changed over the years. She was almost the same old Santana. She had just become a little more broad-hipped, the only trace of her pregnancy. And, even so, it was such a tiny change that probably only Brittany and Santana themselves would have noticed. And moreover, Brittany loved those curves. More than anyone could tell.

Brittany bit her lip, thoughtful. Cracking a smile, she took advantage of Santana enjoying her morning stretch, and grabbed one of the little pillows on the ground that they used to decorate their bed by day and removed by night. Softly, she put it on Santana's stomach. The brunette opened her eyes right away, surprised by the unusual gesture. Brittany shyly grinned at her, fingers nervously drumming on the fabric. She grabbed the end of her wife's loose shirt, and covered the pillow with it. She adjusted the shape to make it look more organic and then she leaned back on her side, beaming.

It woke Santana up like no bout of stretching ever could. Her mind was now fresh and ready, dizzy, as she stared at Brittany. She didn't even look down at the addition under her pyjamas. She knew the shape too well. In the secrecy of their bedroom, when she was alone, she might have slipped the same pillow under her shirt a couple of times. The round cushion that, when tight under a shirt, looked exactly like her old six or seven months pregnant belly, engraved deeply in her memories. Had she been remembering? Had she been dreaming about the future? Santana wasn't sure.

But the only thing that was sure, was that Brittany had witnessed it once and kept it quiet. She had obviously pondered on the act, trying to figure out what it meant. She had tried to resolve Santana's mind, the enigma of the entire thing. And then Brittany had understood, well... she had been dreaming too.

Brittany leaned on her elbow, waiting and grinning wide. Her wife couldn't stop drowning in her gaze. Santana looked like caught in her reverie, almost embarrassed by her secret gestures, which she wasn't sure were secret anymore.

Santana chuckled throatily, somewhat thrown. "Are you just wondering or are you... _asking_?"

Brittany smiled even wider, quiet and loving. Seconds melted as their stare intensified, speaking volumes without saying a word. Brittany bit her bottom lip, on the edge of giggling lovingly. Santana let out another chuckle, closing her eyes in a loving and thoughtful way. She mimicked stroking the fake bump and looked back. Brittany's grin didn't fade at all. Without a single word spoken to explain Brittany's train of thought, Santana knew. They were going to have a baby.

* * *

I'm back! Missed me? xD Finally, your perseverance has paid, I finally got some inspiration back to finally write this sequel. I hope you'll enjoy it :)


	2. The Appointment

During lunch, Santana escaped the studio to go to the hospital for a long-held appointment with Ferguson for her annual checkup. She waited in the doctor's office, in the chair she had sat in dozens of times before, all the memories still very fresh in her mind.

All around her were posters explaining the different phases of pregnancy, types of birth control. It was the perfect array of appropriate information for a great obstetric gynecologist. Santana had once looked at those posters with fear, doubts and wonder. She had thought back then that the pregnancy seemed like an unclimbable mountain. Now, the notion just amused her. She crossed her legs, giggling.

"Hello, Santana!" Ferguson said happily as she burst into her office. She walked straight to Santana, shook her hand and wasted no time, throwing the files she was carrying on her desk with no care. "How are you?"

"Wonderful!"

"Great!" The doctor sat and fidgeted in her seat. "So! Anything new I should be aware of?" she began smiling gently as she started the annual interview without preamble.

"Absolutely nothing," Santana answered around her own smile.

"No illnesses or medical treatments this year?"

"None."

"Fabulous! Now my favourite part: _strip_! On the chair Santana!" Ferguson ordered, rising to her feet and pointing to the other side of the room.

During the whole examination, Santana couldn't get rid of her shy smile. _"Anything new?"_ Ferguson's words echoed in her head. And technically, no, there wasn't anything new but, in her heart... well, that was another story.

"Well, everything's fine! You can dress again," Ferguson said at last. The doctor went back to sit behind her desk to fill Santana's file with the conclusions of another eventless checkup.

Santana took her clothes and re-dressed herself. She tied the clasp of her skirt with a smirk as she watched Ferguson scribble erratically in her file. She and Brittany hadn't yet spoken about starting any preparation just yet. She just knew they would at some point. But Santana didn't even know when, or how... It all was just pure speculation.

However, as she stood in the middle of this office, a little voice in her head trembled and whispered to her that, there stood the doctor that could make their little dream a reality. Her mind rushed. Her heart was screaming,_ "tell your obstetrician you want a baby again, tell her you'll visit her soon with your wife! 'Cause you want a baby, you want a baby so much!"_ Would Sam be the donor again? When would they start? Would they talk about it with Sophia? With their family? There were so many things she had to talk to Brittany about before they even broached the subject with Ferguson.

Thoughtfully, she sat back in the chair facing the desk once her shirt was firmly tucked into her skirt and she had put her shoes back on. She clasped her hands in her lap and bit her lip, not quite sure what to do with herself.

"I guess all we're missing is your birth control prescription and then we're good for this year-... wait," Ferguson chuckled and stopped abruptly. She had grabbed her prescription pad out of habit, since all her patients or almost all, needed the prescription. "You don't take any; why would you take any? You're lesbian. You don't need it," she thought out loud, giggling. Santana shrugged, amused yet a little lost. "Then I guess I'll see you next year!" The doctor said brightly, grabbing the arms of her chair to stand up. Santana however, seemed glued to her chair. Ferguson stopped and eyed her patient who seemed to be debating intensely within herself. She slowly sat back. "Is there anything else you want to talk about, Santana?"

Santana grinned, "I don't know yet..."

"Yet? What do you mean 'you don't know _yet'_?" Ferguson inquired with a slight frown.

Santana's resolve to remain quiet died. It was just too hard not to tell anyone. Fuck it. After all, Ferguson was her obstetrician and she was under professional confidentiality. "Britt and I want to have another baby," she blurted and immediately relaxed. It felt good to say it out loud...

"No way! How wonderful!" Ferguson was disarmed, but in a tender way. "But already? You just had your first... Sophia is what now... two maybe?"

"She's three and a half," Santana admitted, pleased with the doctor's reaction.

"Already? God, time flies so fast..."

"Look," Santana rummaged through her purse for her phone. There was no need to flicker through her files or pictures for a snap of her girl, her background was already a pretty picture of Brittany holding Sophia, happiness radiating on both of their faces. The background changed habitually because, week after week, Santana couldn't stop herself from capturing every moment of Sophia's life. Her daughter was the best human being on Earth and she felt the need to document this at every opportunity. She handed the phone over, pride glowing in her chest.

"Oh! She's adorable! A very pretty, somewhat paler version of yourself may I say," Ferguson joked as she handed the phone back. "So you want a little brother for her?"

"Yeah..." she admitted softly.

"Will be your wife carrying this time?"

Santana's jaw dropped an inch, surprised by the question. "No. Why would she do that?"

Ferguson let out a small chuckle, "Well I don't know. Maybe because she's a woman too? I figured it'd be her turn this time."

To be honest, the idea hadn't even crossed her mind. Not even Brittany's either. Deciding who would be doing it had been such an event in their life, they hadn't even considered changing up the winning team. Brittany's intuition to leave the pregnancy to Santana had been golden: Sophia was perfect. She was the sheer representation of them both, whether genetics would agree or not. Sophia was a calm child most of the time, she had Brittany's patience. She was a very clever princess who knew what she wanted and held on fiercely to get it. Her quiet temper was a massive weapon: Sophia was the kind of child who kept it quiet and put her best smile upfront to hide her naughty schemes. It took ages to Santana and Brittany to find out what her daughter was hiding. They were sure, Sophia had all the features required to become a future top bitch who'd run her school when she'd hit her teenage years. Santana was immensely proud.

Brittany had embodied motherhood like no one could. Brittany was the one Sophia best listened to. She had this firm tenderness, this sweet authority their daughter hadn't even thought to belie. Santana, with her deep Latin roots, was often taken aback by her lack of patience, using her impressive and loud Spanish to control their little devil. One thing was sure, Santana could have never been a mom on her own. It was the two of them together that was working. Brittany compensated for everything she lacked, and hand in hand they were the best parents a child could have hoped for.

"No, I'll be doing it," Santana confirmed, convinced to heart this was the right thing to do. She'd swear to it.

The doctor studied her patient with care. Santana wasn't scared nor abashed like the first time she and Brittany had come to visit her. Her expression was... natural. Meant to be. Ferguson could already tell, Santana would be much more relaxed during a new probable pregnancy. It was nice to witness.

"I should give you another kind of prescription then," the doctor said grabbing her pad once more and hurriedly noting.

"Oh no! I didn't say that like that, I was just... chattering, I guess."

Ferguson stopped writing right away. "Oh. So you want a baby but haven't decided when to start?"

"Exactly."

"Well," she resumed writing, finished by her signature. She ripped the paper from the pad, turned it and put it flat on the table, right in front of Santana. "When you know, you'd already have the right prescription."

Santana read. It was prescriptions for different blood tests that would look for any hidden diseases and any deficiency that could crop up during a pregnancy. And they would all say how ready Santana was for a second round. It was written in black ink on blue paper. This wasn't just a thought anymore or a sweet reverie to ponder on.

"Just do it whenever Brittany and you are ready. Come back to me with the results and then, we'll... _chatter_ all together," Ferguson explained with a friendly smile.

The paper in front of her seemed surreal. As soon as she took it, _held it_, everything would be concrete. She'd be holding the first rock of the foundation for their second child. It was just a simple handwritten note. But it would make all the difference.

"I'm actually really excited. You're not an ordinary patient... You're more of a friend to me. I just can't wait to support you through this once again," Ferguson said kindly.

Santana grabbed the paper as if she were embracing her future. She glanced at her obstetrician, a fond smile stuck on her face. "Thanks..." She folded the paper to put it in her bag, careful not crease it. "I guess you can expect Brittany and I to come back... _soon_," she let out in a whisper which burned her lips and heart.

- o -

Santana waited in front of the school, lost in a sea of parents and nannies. It was always the same routine. She had to wait there until the toddlers would escape the entrance running and then crashing into their parents' legs, their little bags jolting against their backs. Like everyday, the parents and nannies were talking together, small groups here and there with some people alone standing in the middle. Just like Santana. Once in a while, some adventurous parents came to talk to her, the most famous mom of the entire school. They spoke stammering, or in such a small voice of shyness reduced to almost whispers. Even if Sophia was in a private school in which all schoolchildren had wealthy parents, they were all still very shy when Santana, a former icon, was waiting around. Most of the parents had at least one of her albums back home, maybe even in their cars.

She waited, arms crossed and bag high on her shoulder, and shared a few smiles with some familiar smiling faces. The large entrance doors opened and the little devils escaped carrying with them large sheets of papers they all struggled to keep flat in front of them. They all fought not to stumble and fall, head first in the still undried paint of their drawings. Santana peeked through the crowd, looking for the brown hair she knew so well, without success. She dove into the horde of children, trying to come closer to the entrance. Sophia came last, helped by a teacher to carry two sheets, unlike the other children. Santana grinned and went to her rescue.

"Wow babydoll, you're loaded today!" Santana chuckled.

"Mama!-" she started, happy.

"Careful Sophia!" Her teacher struggled to keep the worst from happening.

Santana rushed and grabbed a drawing, thanking the helpful teacher with a nod. "Hi."

"She has been a busy bee today," the teacher joked already heading back inside. "See you tomorrow Sophia!"

"Goodbye Mrs McGinnis," Sophia said reverently, a very polite little girl with angel eyes. "We made drawings for Mother's day!"

"Lucky Mommy and me!" Santana let out gleefully, holding the drawing and walking her daughter to her car.

"Mrs McGinnis asked me if I wanted to make one today and one on Father's day, but I don't understand why she said that because I have two mommies," Sophia admitted frowning.

Santana couldn't keep herself from grinning wide, so proud of their baby girl. "What did you say then?" she inquired as they entered the parking lot.

"I said no!" Sophia answered looking up at her mom. "I make two today! But Barry helped me because he was bored."

"Oh really, why's that?

"Because he don't have a mommy, he have two daddies so he didn't have a drawing to do."

"'He doesn't', baby, we say 'he doesn't'... I didn't know he had two dads! It was really nice of him to help you, though. You should help him in return on Father's day," Santana suggested opening the trunk of her car and putting a drawing flat against the bottom. "Give me the other one." Sophia handed the other out. "I'm gonna put them flat so they don't stick together, okay?"

"Yes, Mama! Barry told me his daddies are gonna buy him a little sister!"

Santana let out a loud chuckle and started to giggle at her daughter's silly words, "They're gonna _buy_ one?... Come on, climb in the car," she said closing the trunk and opening the door for her.

Sophia jumped into the car seat and waited for Santana to lock the belt. "Yeah, but she's not ready yet."

"What do you mean she's not ready?"

"He told me the baby factory haven't finished to build her and that the postman will deliver her in September. The factory will finish her in September," Sophia explained, convinced to the bone of what she was saying.

Santana had hard time not bursting into laughter. She imagined the poor surrogate mother dressed as a postman and coming delivering the baby right on the doormat. _Oh children... _Santana thought, giggling.

"That's awesome Soph'!" She buckled Sophia, closed the door and jogged around the car to take her seat. "Is he happy about it?" She inquired looking in the rearview mirror.

"No. He want a brother."

"_Wants_ baby, 'Barry wants a brother'," she corrected, starting the car.

"Maybe his daddies can take a brother instead of a sister," Sophia wondered out loud.

Santana laughed, "You don't choose those things, babydoll. You take what they give you. Sometimes it's a girl, sometimes it's a boy-"

"Can Mommy and you buy me one?"

Good thing she was at a stop, Santana would have halted the car in surprise. "You want us to... get a baby?"

"Yeah! Elvira have a sister and a brother and she can play with them. She say it's fun because they hug her," Sophia kept gossiping about her little mates.

Santana grinned. "And what would you rather have, a brother or a sister?"

Sophie bit her lip, wondering. "Barry said a brother is better."

"Yeah, but you, what do _you_ think is best?"

Sophia pouted, "I don't know..." She fell deep in thoughts, wondering the ins and outs of each.

Santana scratched her head and let her thoughts wander for a second while the car was at a stop. "You know what Sophia, when Mommy comes home tonight, tell her what you just told me. Tell her you want us to get a baby."

"She'll order one at the factory?" Sophia's jaw dropped and her eyes went wide in sheer happiness.

"Maybe? Who knows!" Santana shrugged playfully looking at her daughter in the rearview mirror. "Mommy will be _very_ happy if you ask her."

Santana stared at her daughter with fond eyes. Sophia couldn't have given her a better gift. Now she was sure the whole family was on the same page, all ready to add another member to the team. Santana already pictured Brittany's reaction when Sophia would storm ranting _"Mommy, Mommy, Mommy, you have to order a baby at the baby factory! Mama said you can order a baby!"_. A memory to add to the many that Sophia was creating every day with her silly words and sweet expressions. Now she had the confirmation that everybody was in the same boat, Santana decided that the next day, she'd follow up with the prescription Ferguson had given her. She'd take these freaking tests behind Brittany's back and then surprise her wife. Brittany would love that kind of gift. It was all settled.

Santana chuckled, starting the car again as the traffic lights turned green.

- o -

"Mama, what are we gonna eat tonight?" Sophia asked. She was lazily drawing shapes on messy sheets, covering the kitchen tables in dozens of masterpieces. Santana kept her busy this way, so she could cook her favorite meal peacefully.

"Lasagna, baby," Santana answered putting the dish in the oven.

"Yay! I love lasagna!" Sophia started, letting her pen fall, too overwhelmed to clunch.

"I know," Santana smirked.

Considering the amount of lasagna Santana had devoured during her pregnancy, it was hard to believe that Sophia's blood wasn't made of tomato sauce. The dish had become the doomed meal of the household. Each time this special kind of pasta ended up on the table, a war of jokes happened, wry smirks and wicked giggles as the only weapons. But that day, serving this dish to her family was making a lot of sense. It sounded much more serious and tender.

A distant clinking sound came to their ears.

"Mommy's home! Mommy, Mommy!" Sophia left running.

"_Hey bug! Missed me?" _Santana heard Chloe, Brittany's sister, say from the other side of the corridor. The little girl had probably jumped into her aunt's arms, they were probably hugging or fooling around... the usual stuff.

"_Hey baby! Where's Mama?"_ Brittany asked.

"_She's cooking lasagna!" _Sophia spat between laughs. Santana imagined the silly smirk on her wife's lips, already probably preparing her jokes for the dinner.

Santana waited for the little tribe to join her in the kitchen. She washed her hands, a fond smile coloring her face.

"Hey San! You need a little pick-me-up to compensate your morning sickness? Or boob pain?" Chloe blurted jokingly, first declaring the war when entering the kitchen.

Santana chuckled, but her mind was emptied from all her sense of humour. She decided to play ignorant, and switched subject. "Are you staying for dinner?"

"Yup," Chloe answered, right before her sister entered the room, followed on her heels by Sophia.

Without a word, Brittany walked straight to her wife and kissed her hello. Santana waited for the mocking to come. Nothing ever came. Brittany had the same fond smile. She knew why Santana wanted to bring back those memories, and actually, her heart was craving them too. Quiet, Brittany went to grab glasses in a cupboard to give her sister the drink they had been dreaming of for the past hours. Brittany and Santana just couldn't stop throwing shy looks and fond smiles. When Brittany passed right by her to fill some water in a carafe, Santana poked her with the hip. Beaming, Brittany kissed her on the shoulder and left.

"There Chlo'," Brittany said filling a glass with water to give her sister.

"Ugh, you spelled hallelujah wrong, sis..." Chloe let out, right before drinking the entire glass of crystal water in one gulp. Brittany took a seat too, made Sophia sit on her lap to enjoy a moment in family.

"What did you do?" Santana inquired, cleaning her kitchen now she was finished cooking.

"We went shopping! Actually, we got something for _you_..." Brittany answered and told her daughter, filling her voice with suspense.

"_What!_What, I want to know what it is!" Sophia started.

Chloe was about to stand up to go get it when Santana stopped her, tapping on her shoulder. "Tell me where it is, I'm going.

"Oh you can't miss it, right in the entrance," Chloe instructed.

Santana left to get it, scratching her head and smiling wide. Indeed, it was hard to miss the huge box in the entrance, all hidden in a giant plastic bag. Santana peeked in it. They had bought a huge Lego princess castle that Sophia would certainly need help to build. Santana already pictured the whole evening program, three adults and a toddler locking Legos.  
Before taking it, she went to her purse. She took out of it a heavy envelope and her phone. She grabbed the huge bag which, thank God, wasn't as heavy as it looked. Sophia almost stopped breathing when she realized the huge bag was for her. Chloe and Brittany cleaned the table from all the drawings so Santana could put the box right in the middle.

"Mommy and Auntie are spoiling you, babydoll!" Santana kidded as she put the box down. She slid the box out of the bag carefully, without letting go or her phone and envelope. "Look what it is!" Sophia officially stopped breathing, frozen in a too-thrilled expression.

"A princess castle for my princess!" Brittany said happily. Sophia started to tremble, this was too good to be true.

"Come on monkey, climb on my lap. We can start it before dinner!" Chloe proposed. No need to tell her twice, Sophia jumped out of her mom's lap to join Chloe, and literally rip the box out until the toys would show.

Santana went back behind the kitchen counter that separated the room in two, the kitchen on one side, the table on the other. Secretly, she untied the envelope and pulled the papers out. She arranged them on the counter without unfolding them, very tidily and respectfully, perfectly lined up. She looked for Sam's number in her phone and without calling, set it open on the pile.

"Britt..." she called, taking a deep breath. The blonde, who had been absorbed by her sister and daughter's fun, came back from her reverie. "Come here, please."

Giggling over the ruffle happening on the kitchen table, she headed over, all relaxed and funny. Santana gestured for her to look at the little pile in a soft head move, right before resuming preparations for dinner.

She grabbed the phone and caught sight of Sam's name. Immediately, she tried to hide a growing smirk. She put it right close to the pile, and started to flick through. The first paper was saying how healthy Santana was; no carence, no hidden disease... The second was a very specific hormonal test saying Santana wouldn't need any treatment this time. The last bunch of papers were forms duly filled so Santana could apply to an insemination. All the papers were there, proudly announcing that once Brittany and Santana would bring this envelope to Ferguson, everything would officially start. The only thing missing was talking to Sam and get him on board with them.

"When did you...?" Brittany whispered to Santana.

"Happy anniversary one month early," Santana answered giving her wife a kiss on the cheek. Brittany beamed. Santana grabbed the phone and put it in Brittany's hand. "I did my part... do yours."

The phone in her hand was almost burning. Her heartbeat was pulsating in her every finger. Brittany and Santana would have to talk, soon. Now they had to state about _when_. When they should call Sam. If he said yes, when should they all start. It was impossible to talk with Chloe and Sophia around. She knew her sister, even if Santana and Brittany escaped to another room, Chloe would still notice their weird mood and would start to grill them. However, she had the phone in her hand, she was one call away to do the next step further into paradise. They were too close.

"When... do I call?" Brittany stammered in a discreet and low voice.

"Whenever you want," Santana let out, her eyes melting with tenderness. Her eyes were telling a story. Would they really need to talk? Wasn't this _"whenever you want"_ answering all the pending questions?

"What are you whispering, you two?" Chloe interceded.

"Nothing!" Brittany spat. She clenched the phone and headed towards the corridor already pushing the calling button and pulling the phone to her ear.

"_Hey Sa-"_

"Hey Sam, it's Brittany!"

"_Oh hey! How are you? You're not calling to tell me you guys are not coming at the gala, are you?" _

"Of course not! I was calling to know if you wanted to come by tomorrow... to, hm, chill around a drink?"

"_Yeah sure. What time?"_

"9?"

"_9? Are you trying to hide Sophia from me?"_ Sam kidded about the late hour. Usually, they always told him to come early if he wanted to spend some time with her.

Brittany chuckled embarrassed, "No, of course not! You can come before. It's just that... we need to hm.. talk. Alone."

"_Like, to talk-...__**talk**__?"_ He pointed out Brittany's sharp words, already figuring some seriousness that would be a part of their conversation. It wasn't Brittany's usual manner of speaking and further still, it was usually Santana who called way more often for the serious stuff. "Is Sophia alright?"

"Yup, she couldn't be better, I just got her a Lego princess castle so she's pretty much in another world today," Brittany tried to kid despite her weird mood. "It's not about Sophia, don't worry. She's fine."

"Is Santana okay then?"

"Yup, she's great. But really, are you-"

"_Then what do you want to talk about?"_ He inquired. _"Why are you calling from Santana's phone?"_

"Hm, it's nothing Sam, really! Anyway, you're coming or not?" Brittany didn't want to spill anything on the phone. They should be two to ask, Santana and Brittany together hand in hand in front of their donor.

"_Yeah, no prob. But Brittany... " _Silence weighed on their words. The awkwardness was to cut but none of them knew how to escape this feeling. _"... I guess I see you at 9 tomorrow then?"_

"Awesome! See ya-"

"_Bye Britt."_ He hung up in a hurry.

Brittany stared at the phone perplexed. Her heart drummed, her cheeks were burning. She walked back to the kitchen. Her steps were heavier than usual and she felt as though she were breathing a bad air that wouldn't refill her lungs properly.

"How's Sam? I haven't seen him in ages," Chloe said as soon as her sister re-entered the kitchen.

"How do you know I was calling him?" Brittany blurted.

"You said "hey Sam"... Don't need a degree to figure that out," Chloe snorted.

"Right... He's good. We're having him over for dinner tomorrow," Brittany explained, locking her eyes with Santana.

"Awesome, can I come-"

"No!" Santana let out, abruptly.

"No!" Brittany started even more aggressively.

"Wow guys, I know I squat a lot but if I'm here too often just say it..." Chloe tried. Never she had felt rejected at her sister's house, but she could totally understand that she might have abused their hospitality a few of times.

"No, no... Not at all. Sorry... It's just that Santana, Sam and I have some serious talking to do tomorrow. Stuff about... his hm, ...charity," Brittany explained before Chloe, always so curious, would inquire. A white lie couldn't hurt anybody after all.

"Yeah, we're gonna talk about donations and stuff, it's no fun," Santana confirmed.

"Oh okay," Chloe said, already focusing back on Sophia playing on her lap.

Brittany walked back to Santana, looking at her feet all along. She put the phone back on the counter and went to embrace Santana.

"He comes at 9 tomorrow," Brittany whispered.

Santana stared back, madly in love. Her ribcage seemed to shake. She put her forehead against Brittany's and they fell deep in thoughts. They quietly prayed for him to say yes.

- o -

"So, you're gonna ask me now or after dessert?" Sam said gleefully, playing with the rest of food lost in his plate with his fork.

Sam knew. Of course he knew. Everything had been great since Sophia born. There was no awkwardness, things were clear and working fine this way. The idea the two moms could come back to him, and actually ask his help for a second child, was everything but unexpected. When everything went well, when life was so happy, why wouldn't they want to enlarge their family? He knew they'd come back one day with the same embarrassed smiles and shifty looks. The exact same shy behavior they had showed all night during the dinner.

They had talked about their annual donation to the charity, how Sophia was growing so fast... The usual talks of friends catching up around a table. But Sam wasn't a fool. They were beating around the bush until the real point of this evening would finally show up. Until one of them, probably Brittany, would spill everything. Sam had waited during the starters and the main course. He was getting impatient. When he realized they just couldn't pull themselves together, he decided to put an end to their suffering.

"I'm sorry?" Santana let out, perplexed.

"When are you going to ask me to be your donor again?" he very clearly said. "Nothing we talked about tonight couldn't have wait until we see each other at the gala next week. So... ?"

Santana panicked and Brittany pulled her best poker face, fiercely holding on their hands under the table.

Brittany took a deep breath, bringing some courage in her veins. "You're right..."

Sam let out a chuckle, "I knew it!"

Sam's relaxed reaction eased them a bit, but not enough yet to talk very openly without any shyness or embarrassment.

"To be honest, I kinda was expecting it for a while."

Santana and Brittany had no words. They didn't know how to resume the conversation. Their voices seemed stuck in their throat.

"Santana? Brittany?" Sam inquired, feeling about disarmed they were. "You know, I was expecting it and I have no reason to refuse. I mean, except than right now, things had never been awkward or anything so I don't know what could stand in the way. When are we starting?"

"Sam..." Santana let out in a moved whisper.

"You're sure?" Brittany said, grabbing his hand.

"Yeah, I'm 100% sure. You are incredible parents, that'd be a huge mistake not to let you have a bigger family."

Santana's eyes were suddenly wetter than usual, her lips swollen with emotion. "Thank you..."

"But hm... Are we going full blonde this time?" Sam said around a chuckle to ease the heavy atmosphere.

Brittany took the bait, giggling, "No, we're sticking to the winning team-"

All of a sudden, Santana's chair cracked on the ground. She ran to Sam and threw herself in his arms, almost making him fall from his seat.

"Wo-"

"Thank you..." Santana said from the bottom of her heart, clutching him with all her strength. "Thank you..." she repeated over and over again, under Sam and Brittany's happy laughs.

"You're welcome," he said tenderly rubbing her back. "But I do have a favor to ask you..."

Santana immediately pulled away and stared deep. "Anything."

"Can I have dessert now? I saw that apple pie in your kitchen earlier that I think is calling for me right now..."

Santana froze a second. It sounded so absurd. They were asking about babies, and all he wanted was pie. She burst into laughter. "Oh my god, take the whole pie if you want, it's all for you!" she laughed out between two heavy chuckles.

* * *

Regarding the "controversy" over Santana having the next child xD... The fact Santana will be carrying doesn't mean they can't have more than two kids and that she'd be the one carrying them all. It's just plain continuity with what happened in "Hold Me" (check chapter 15). But as Brittany would say, "Anything's possible" ;) And don't worry, with Sophia around, everything will be different :) Are you still in the Love Grows boat with me? :)


	3. The Handhold

Santana stared at their handhold. It was the only thing she could do without trembling like a leaf in the obstetric chair. Since they had arrived ten minutes ago, Santana had been holding tightly to Brittany's hand and clutched it between both of her own. She kept focusing on it: a solid and frank embrace that gave her just barely enough strength.

"Relax sweetheart, it's gonna be fine..." Brittany tried. She was worn down by stress. Her words couldn't have softened anyone Even she didn't believe them.

Santana stared blankly, her anxiousness drawing dark circles around her eyes. Around them, the empty room was painfully silent. Her position was far from reassuring. Ferguson had instructed Santana to undress the bottom of her body to prepare for the insemination and then wait for her on the chair. There she was, legs bare and naked, for minutes that seemed to take her entire life.

Their jaws tightened when the unlocking handle clinked and Ferguson came back into the room carrying a tray with the precious treasure hidden under an immaculate cloth. Santana's lips trembled and she frowned. She was crushing Brittany's fingers. It was the only thing she could hold onto.

"Relax Santana. I know it's hard, but it's just an insemination. It takes one minute and it doesn't hurt... It might work and it might _not_ work... It's just a try. Consider it just as a try. It's completely different from last time and you know it," Ferguson tried to reassure her with honesty as she set everything on a small rolling table right close to Santana's legs.

Santana had chosen to do an insemination because it was less demanding than IVF, like she had done before. She wouldn't have to take a week off of work and she would be able to do whatever she wanted with their daughter. It was more convenient, but it had less chances of success. Consequently, Santana had on her shoulders the weight of a probable fail. There was no rule as to why an insemination failed or succeeded. There was only hope...and a hint of luck. It barely was a medical act and Ferguson knew very well that this particular status made the soon-to-be mothers contort themselves with anxiety. And Santana was no exception to the rule.

"Still..." Santana let out, her voice almost sounded like a cry.

When Ferguson was finished, she stood right in front of Santana. She gestured in large and light moves to breath deeply. "Come on, we breathe, we calm down... It's just a try..." She took few minutes to ease Santana and create a much more relaxed atmosphere. "You can take five minutes to hug if you want, do something that eases you..."

"It's fine," Santana answered in a whisper. She left Brittany's hand to dry her face from the light dew that had appeared out of stress. She took a second to brace herself, eyes shut, and grabbed Brittany's hand again.

"Alright... Put your legs in the supports and sit right next the edge, please," Ferguson fell back into her doctor's persona. Her legs trembling, Santana slid her feet in the cold supports on each side of the chair and eased herself in the right position. "It's just like a normal checkup, just a try remember," Ferguson kept talking to distract Santana from the overwhelming stress.

Santana put their firm handhold to her lips and closed her eyes. She pressed her lips against it, in a kiss that could last a long while. She focused on the warm hand against her skin and the pulsating veins drumming in Brittany's each fingers.

Brittany couldn't take her eyes off of Ferguson. She wanted to witness everything, every single step. This little train of moves busied her thoughts and that was reassuring. When Ferguson uncovered the full syringe, Brittany felt a rush of adrenaline flow. This hurried feeling woke up some strength. A baby was possibly hiding in it. That was it. She crouched and rested forehead against forehead. To make room, Santana lowered their hold on her heart, where her blood was drumming like loud cymbals. Brittany's light breathing on her face reassured Santana. Her perfume smelled like home, despite the white and ordinary room. It helped her calm her mad ribcage.

"I'm starting. Is that alright?" Ferguson asked with the most reassuring voice.

"Yeah..." Satana breathed out.

"Great, I'll tell you when I'm about to push it, okay?" Ferguson ranted to keep Santana's mind busy. Santana clutched their hands harder.

"One... two..." Brittany approached her waiting lips right against Santana's. "And three-" She put the lightest kiss when Santana breathed out. "It's in!" Brittany sealed with a longer kiss which Santana reciprocated with all her love.

Only the doctor's ministrations clinking sounds came to their ears when, frozen in their light moment, Santana and Brittany were out of the world. Santana weakly removed her legs from the supports when Ferguson asked her to so she could lay straight on the chair that, when Ferguson fixed the last part up, looked like a bed. She didn't move an inch when Ferguson took off the supports so Santana and Brittany could wait the next thirty minutes around something that didn't look like a torture machine.

"Lift your hips, please," Ferguson brought them back to Earth. She was waiting right by Santana, a heavy cushion in hand. "I need you to rest your hips a little higher," she instructed with a kind smile.

They parted to let Ferguson slide the cushion into the best position possible. Santana kneeled to get a comfy position, her legs glued together.

"Are you feeling comfortable like that?" Ferguson asked.

"Yes..."

"Really? 'Cause you'll have to wait thirty minutes straight, so if you need another cushion or something, just say so."

"I'm fine," Santana blurted in a low voice.

"Okay, great." Ferguson grabbed a little timer she had carried in. She set it and put it right in their line of sight on the minimalist furniture. "I leave that here... Don't stand up before it buzzes." She took the little tray back, the empty syringe standing proudly in the middle of other devices and started to head out to leave them a moment together. "I'll leave you now. I'll be in my office if you need anything or if you have any questions," she explained with a smile and closed the door behind her.

Brittany came closer and, arms open wide, brought Santana into a hug. They remained motionless, snuggling into each other's neck for minutes that flew over them. Not a word, not a smile... They just waited, hugging close in each other arms, praying that it would work.

When the timer buzzed an infinity later, parting felt like a wrench. Brittany softly let go and Santana started to stand up, moving herself, legs-first, out of the bed. Santana felt heavy. Her legs and stomach seemed to bear the whole world's weight. She had no reason to be careful, no reason to worry about her every move... yet she put her feet on the ground as if she were walking on clouds. Her lazy steps barely grazed the tiled floor.

Mimicking her motions, Brittany followed her closely with the same care, as if they were tied by an invisible thread. They just couldn't stay away from each other, not even for a few feet. She adjusted her dress and sat to put her shoes back.

Santana felt incredibly dizzy. It felt like everything she might do could influence the result of this try. Even sitting to put on her shoes seemed risky. There was no reason to worry at that point, but her heart couldn't stop crying a whole river of hope.

Brittany helped her slide back in her cardigan. "Are you ready?"

Santana nodded. She was too overwhelmed to speak. Slowly, they made their way to Ferguson's office, a couple of doors away. Brittany naturally took control over the situation. She was the one supporting, the one taking the stress with a poker face so Santana could lean on her. Consequently, she was the one to knock on Ferguson's door, her arm protectively snuggling over Santana's shoulders.

"_Come in," _Ferguson spat loudly. Brittany opened the door with a moist hand. Ferguson immediately stood up when she caught sight of them. "Come in, take a seat." she said with a smile pushing the chairs a little away from her desk.

They sat quietly and sobbed a little inside when they had to let go of each other. They stared blank waiting for the doctor to explain the rest of the procedure.

"So... I prepared everything for you," she said pushing a sheet toward them with a large reassuring smile. "You'll have to do a blood test in twenty days exactly, here's the prescription. They'll send me the results and I'll call you after so I can tell you if it's positive or not. Anyhow, we'll make an appointment, and we'll figure the rest. Is that okay?"

"Yes," Santana croaked through the heavy and quiet atmosphere.

"If you're worn by the wait, you can do pregnancy test, but not before fifteen days. If you do it before then, it might give you a false result. I'd advise to wait for the blood test. It's the only thing that can provide a 100% accurate result after twenty days. But I can understand how excruciating it is so... Not before fifteen days, understood?"

"Yes," Santana answered. Ferguson raised an eyebrow at Brittany, waiting for the confirmation that she wouldn't let Santana do it before, at all costs.

"Crystal clear," the blonde agreed. Brittany grabbed the prescription and folded it to put in her bag.

'I guess that's all for today. See you in twenty days then?" Ferguson stood up and offered her hand to be shaken. Brittany went first and Santana barely even grazed the doctor's hand, too weak to shake. "Come on... Courage!" Ferguson's happy voice burst through their weird mood, as the doctor tapped on Santana's shoulder.

Santana cracked a smile as she headed out quietly.

"Thank you," Brittany said when Ferguson was about to close the door.

"You're welcome, Brittany."

The blonde resumed protectively holding on Santana's shoulders. She walked her out, embracing her so very tight, so she could forget the heavy weight making her feet drag on the hallway floor. Not a single word was spoken in the car. Santana rested her head on Brittany's shoulder as the blonde drove them home and stroked her thigh once in a while. As soon as they reached home, Santana went straight to their bedroom and curled up on the cover like a little poor thing, without even taking her shoes off. When Brittany had finished taking her coat and shoes off in the entrance, she joined her and sat on the bed's edge.

"Is there anything you want?" Brittany cared.

Santana shook her hand half buried in the pillows. Brittany cracked a smile. She went to take her shoes off, Santana barely helped. She then leaned closer and tried to take her coat off but Santana refused to move, mindlessly afraid that moving too much would lead the insemination to a complete fail.

"Come on, Santana, please..." Brittany insisted, pulling on her sleeve.

Santana complied before resuming her sad position. Brittany pulled a cover over them and took her back in her arms.

"I love you," Brittany breathed out in the secrecy of their embrace. She put a playful and light kiss on her nose, cracking a smile.

Santana relaxed just enough to regain speech. "How did we do this last time? How did we manage those freaking twenty days?"

"I don't know... But we did it once, so we can do it again," Brittany said lightly.

Santana breathed out, exasperated. "For your information, I'm not leaving this bed for the rest of the day."

"No problem as long as you make room for me, 'cause I'm about to fall off this bed," Brittany kidded. Santana peeked around, she was right in the middle of the bed. She pulled herself until she reached her side of the bed, the one she had been sleeping in for years. "Much better!"

"Will you still love me if it fails?" Santana asked on a worried tone.

Brittany puffed. "I didn't know inseminations could get you high..." She giggled and snuggled closer.

- o -

In the guest room, Chloe woke up feeling nauseous. She had called her sister in the middle of the night after a party she attempted had turned into an alcoholic orgy. She had been feeling too sick to even think about coming back to her own apartment, all the way across the city. Her sister's place was just a few blocks away and it had seemed much wiser to take a cab for a five-minute ride to get there. Considering the extremely late hour, Brittany had just given her a cover to curl into and, very wisely, a bowl - just in case Chloe would have been tempted to ruin the carpet.

Curled up in the cover, she was feeling too sick. She went out of the room with the cover on her shoulders, looking like a snowy mountain on her, and headed the kitchen swallowing back over and over again to calm her upset stomach. When she reached the heart of the house, Brittany, Santana and Sophia were eating their breakfast reverently. In complete silence.

"Hey..." Chloe managed to let out between two mad breaths.

"Good morning," Brittany said speaking for the three of them.

Chloe took a seat and stared at them. Even Sophia, a true and irrevocably bundle of energy, seemed dull. She was eating her breakfast eyes locked on her plate as if she had been through the biggest scolding her short life had ever known. She mimicked Santana's mood, deep in thoughts and with shifty eyes on the other side of the table.

"I'm sorry to have stormed in here like that last night..." Chloe apologized.

She thought it might be her fault. Maybe she had woken Sophia, and maybe the little girl had been a pain in the ass all night. Perhaps she had been too drunk to even realize the loud mess she could have caused and how it might have caused Santana to be very irritated.

"Don't worry, it's fine," Santana answered hurriedly, her tone as strict as when she was scolding their daughter.

"It's better to know you safe in here," Brittany confirmed with a tender look that didn't last long nevertheless.

"Really, I promise it won't happen again. This night was a terrible mistake and I shouldn't have burst in her-"

Brittany tapped on her sister's hand, sitting just by her, trying to be reassuring. "Don't worry," she insisted.

Sophia bit her lips, wondering. "Mama, can we go to the zoo tod-"

"No, you have school," Santana cut firmly, dissuading her daughter from even thinking about negotiating. "Are you finished?" she inquired with the same tone.

"Yes," Sophia answered, almost pouting, trying to cope with her mama's bad mood. Santana stood up taking her own plate and went to take her daughter's.

"Leave it, I'll do it," Brittany said hurriedly.

Santana let her plate hit the table in a loud and careless noise. "Can I get you anything? Coffee? Aspirin?" she asked Chloe trying to sound kind. Chloe was taken aback because she didn't even seem angry at her, just... extremely irritated for whatever reason.

"Hm... Coffee's good," Chloe weighted her every word to navigate the obvious storm.

Santana walked to the kitchen counter looking like a ghost. To reassure her sister, Brittany threw her a kind smile. Even she was in a terrible state of mind, but she had to make up for Santana.

"How was the party last night? Was it at least nice?" Brittany inquired to chat and actually distract her sister. She honestly didn't care about her sister's party. All she wanted was to spare Santana some grilling time from her sister, always so curious.

"Oh yeah, that was really good until I met my old friend Vodka," Chloe relaxed.

"Ouch..." Brittany pitied her. "Vodka's the worst for that..."

"Yuppers, that plus the beer, and rum and-" Chloe felt nauseous again, "Anyway..." They'd better switch subject before she threw up.

Bored, Sophia started to drum on the plate with her spoon. "Go play in your room, Sophia. And I don't want to hear you," Santana ordered, less than two seconds after the irritating sound came to her ears. Sophia didn't need to be told twice. She was already jumping out of her chair to escape the bad mood in the air.

"Not so fast, give me a hug first," Brittany said, trying to compensate for Santana's hard tone. Her little girl threw herself in her arms, and they cuddled. Brittany allowed herself a moment, breathing the reassuring smell of her daughter's hair. A lump tightened her throat. Sophia pulled away - too soon if you asked Brittany - and left immediately. Brittany pulled herself together and resumed her discussion.

Chloe was taken aback. Usually, Brittany and Santana stood together when Sophia was being naughty. It seemed that this time Santana was the problem, not the little girl who, for once, seemed pretty calm. Chloe tried to figure what might been up. What an ordeal considering the thick fog her mind was set in.

"Did she get her period or what?" Chloe asked whispering.

She might have not whispered low enough. Santana let a mug fall on the countertop, almost hard enough for it to break. She rested both hands on the counter, offering a full view of her back, her sad shoulders falling and her tense neck. She pulled herself together and filled a mug with coffee, and eyes down, put it in front of Chloe.

"Here's your coffee. I'll just go back to bed if you don't mind," Santana tried her best to warm her cold tone but lamely failed. Without a look, she headed out.

Chloe was too absorbed by Santana's bad mood to realize that her sister had fell apart right next to her, and had pulled herself together immediately. Brittany put her fork down. This morning, her appetite was barely existent, but now it was all irrevocably gone.

Brittany coughed to swallow the lump in her throat. "Yes, she did." Chloe was too sick to think about something to answer and consequently, break the heavy silence her comment had put them in. "She just... she has been sick all night. Stomach cramps..."

"I'm so sorry Britt, you could have told me on the phone that she was sick, I would have figured something else!"

Brittany fought back her sorrow, standing up and starting cleaning. "No, really, it's fine. She's just having her period, _no biggie_," the last words scalded her tongue. "I'll just go see if she's okay," she said putting the plates in the sink.

"Yeah, sure."

"Okay... Just... Do whatever you want, okay? Feel free to take a shower or eat or... whatever..." Brittany had hard time finding her words, the lump in her throat was holding them all. "Live your life. Don't mind us..." Brittany left the kitchen, leaving her sister alone with her coffee and her skeptical thoughts.

When she entered her bedroom, Santana was curled up in under the covers, only her black bun could be seen. She joined her, exactly the way she had held her all day long on the insemination day, exactly how she had been holding her all night long after Santana had broken down crying when, just coming back from the toilet, she announced her period had come two days early.

As soon as she hugged Brittany back, Santana's cries resumed. She sobbed against her chest. They both knew it could fail, but they had never experienced it. Santana was feeling so empty... and useless. Now unfit to conceive despite the beautiful daughter she had carried. She was devastated.

So was Brittany. Santana's cries were breaking her heart, already knowing some scars would remain from this. She couldn't hold back anymore, her own tears poured down her cheeks.

"It was just a try, we can have many others..." Brittany sobbed out, trying to find some hope somewhere when they felt like they had lost a possibly child. "Just next month, we just have to wait until next month to try again," she kept repeating the same words she had chanted all night.

"But it failed Britt... It failed..." Santana cried out. Her sadness weighed too heavily on her shoulders to even start to think about another try just yet.

Brittany cried even more, when Santana was speaking those words her mind screamed incessantly. She had no words and no reassuring gestures left. She had no strength to try to reassure her after a night spent drying their tears. She held her even closer grabbing Santana's hair, almost too strongly to be sweet. But neither of them knew was tenderness anymore. Only the darkest shade of sorrow colored their every motion and thought. Only sadness and disappointment were left to be lived.

- o -

Sophia was nodding off in Brittany's arms, while Santana, Sam and her were finishing their dinner. They couldn't feel more down. They had tried three times, and had ended up with three fails. They had stopped crying. They were at a point where they hadn't any more tears left to cry. The disappointment colored their hearts with dullness, weariness. Santana felt as if her body was betraying them. The feeling that she seemed not able to conceive anymore depressed her. She couldn't give her family the baby they all wanted, and her uterus seemed on strike for a reason she didn't know.

"... and if tomorrow's try fails too, we're in for IVF'," Santana explained, embittered. She shrugged sadly and played with her empty glass of water to keep her mind busy. It was obvious she didn't have any faith left. "And if the IVF doesn't work either, I honestly don't know what we're gonna do... Maybe we'll stop trying for a while, or maybe Brittany will try," she thought out loud about all their options if indeed, she couldn't irrevocably conceive at all.

"_What?_" Brittany's eyes went wide. "We never talked about me doing anything. And even if this insemination fails, IVF worked last time so I don't see why it wouldn't work a second time-"

"But my mechanics are broken so..."

"Santana..." Brittany breathed out. How hard it was becoming to maintain some hope in her heart.

"Why haven't you tried an IVF after the first try then?"

"Because my obstetrician said it was better like that. Like... trying for four inseminations, and then switch to IVF. I mean, with Sophia around, it would be a little heavy to deal with IVF 'cause last time I was pretty useless for a week, but I guess we won't have the choice soon..."

Brittany breathed sadly. She was feeling so empty-handed on that one. There was nothing she could do to help, instead of trying to reassure Santana. But the brunette refused all help, all support. All Santana was doing was fending Brittany off with the fact that nothing had worked.

"Listen, there's still tomorrow," Sam tried, "And even if it doesn't work, I'll do a second donation for another round of tries. Don't worry about that, really."

Santana's shoulder fell down an inch, so disappointed in herself and feeling guilty, "I'm sorry Sam... It must be so emotionally demanding that I can't even imagine ho-"

"Seriously, it's fine," he said with a reassuring smile. "I knew this could happen when I agreed, so it doesn't make any difference to me," he grabbed Santana's wrist in a friendly hold and stared deep in her eyes. "Really, I'll stick around until you guys get this baby."

Santana's eyes started to wet. Seeing that Sam would support them until it worked was the only thing that could fill her heart with some reassurance.

"You're gonna get that baby whatever it costs, you understand? At _all _costs," Sam said glancing back and forth between Brittany and Santana, trying to cheer them up. He emptied his glass with one gulp. "Come on girls, I think we've tortured ourselves enough for tonight. Tomorrow's a brand new day," he said standing up and they followed, Brittany struggling not to wake Sophia up.

"Yeah, this one will enjoy her bed tonight," Brittany attempted at kidding, her baby dead asleep in her arms.

"It's gonna work one day, I'm sure," Sam said poking Santana on their way to the exit.

Santana puffed. "Perhaps."

- o -

_They're losing faith_, Ferguson thought. The syringe in her hand for the fourth time in a row, she observed the scene in front of her.

Brittany was holding Santana's hand, as usual, but she didn't even know if it was out of habit considering how... weak it was. Santana was breathing sadly, already convinced it would fail. Brittany was deep in thought, nervous, but there wasn't a single drop of adrenaline in her look. It had all faded away, as the inseminations failed again and again. It was actually heartbreaking to see them like that. Only Ferguson's inner professionalism was keeping her from almost yelling at them, ordering them to keep hoping. However, the friendship they had gained out of this was beating louder and louder in her mind. They just looked so sad... After all, no one in the room would report to the Hospital's director if Ferguson did something highly unprofessional.

"Brittany, you want to push it in?"

Their faces livened up a bit. "I hm... Is that possible?" Brittany stammered.

"It's against the rules but whatever," Ferguson admitted in a cheerful voice. "I think we can break the rules for the last insemination..."

"Do you want me to do it?" Brittany asked her wife with hope finally tainting her voice.

Cracking a smile - very rare lately, Santana nodded. "Please..."

Brittany had already let go of their handhold to stand near Ferguson, right in front of Santana.

"I just need to set it in, and we're good, just a sec," she explained. She inserted the syringe, put it in the perfect place. "Here, hold it like this," she instructed.

Brittany's suddenly shaky hand slid right between Ferguson's and the syringe so the doctor could let go without them losing the right position. The syringe in her hand finally sent adrenaline in her blood.

"Yeah it's perfect like that. Then you need to empty it in one firm push. It's whenever you want, I'll just.. wait here..." Ferguson said turning around to leave them in their own bubble.

Brittany gazed at Santana. This little twist added something special to the situation, something more intimate. Even if she wasn't holding her or kissing her, not even grazing her skin anywhere, they couldn't feel more bound. She threw her a large smile, her face cut in two by her grin. She raised an eyebrow, eyes melting, quietly asking for Santana to tell her when she wanted Brittany to seal the deal. Santana took a deep breath and nodded in a barely noticeable head move.

With her other hand, Brittany pushed all the contents in until the syringe stopped. She stared at the empty syringe she was holding strongly for a second, taking in what she had just done.

"It's in," Brittany whispered, too overwhelmed to move.


	4. The Talk

Brittany was the one fetching their little angel at school since Santana couldn't, stuck in a meeting all day. Now Brittany understood very well why Santana complained so much about waiting alone outside every day, especially since they were trying to have a baby. There were strollers everywhere. Some blue, some pink, grey, yellow... a full rainbow of carriages carrying pretty babies. And a full crowd of staring parents and nannies. It made Brittany feel very nervous.

She wondered if she could change her work schedule to go fetch Sophia at school more often and actually save her wife from these excruciating ten minutes of waiting - at least until Santana was finally pregnant. The door opened and brought her back from her thoughts. Sophia came out, fooling around with a little boy, her best friend Barry. Before she could reach her daughter, a man came to them and grabbed Barry's backpack.

"Sophia," Brittany called through the crowd.

"Mommy!" Sophia started. "Look Barry, it's my Mommy!" She shook his sleeve hurriedly, very surprised to see her instead of Santana.

Brittany came running. She grabbed her hand, "Leave them alone, baby!"

"Oh it's fine! Don't worry," the man said with a smile. "I'm Barry's dad, Arnold," he handed his hand out.

Brittany shook it, "Brittany, Sophia's mom," she explained smiling back.

"Very nice to meet you! We hear about you pretty often."

"Ugh, don't listen to tabloids, just don-"

"No, I mean back home! Barry just can't stop talking about Sophia, what her moms got her, that we should get him the same things, etc... You can guess the rest," he laughed.

"Oh!" Brittany started as she took the bag from Sophia's shoulders. She wasn't used to normal people talking to her... normally. To be honest, it was the first time she was chatting with a parent. "Yeah same here! This little devil asked us for a baby 'cause she heard about your daughter," Brittany giggled ruffling Sophia's hair. "Congratulations by the way!"

Arnold made an excited face, already thrilled by his soon-to-be daughter's anticipated arrival. "Thank you. We're super excited!"

"I can believe that," Brittany said with a growing lump forming in her throat. "A newborn always adds a great happiness into family..."

"And you, are you thinking about enlarging the family?" Arnold asked casually.

"We're hm-... thinking about it," Brittany had hard time hiding her feelings. Thank God Arnold chose to talk to her instead of Santana for whatever reason. If Santana had been asked that, the chances of her breaking down in tears were very high.

"Mommy, can we go home?" Sophia asked reverently, saving Brittany's butt while pulling on her mom's shirt. Adult conversations were simply an annoyance to her and at this particular moment, it relieved Brittany more than Sophia could know.

"Yeah sweetie... It was nice meeting you!" Brittany said shaking Arnold's hand again. "It's not very often that parents approach us," she admitted with a smirk.

Arnold chuckled, "Well that's a shame... Have a great evening!"

"You too, bye!... Come on Soph'. We're going!" She pulled her daughter by the arm.

"Oh Brittany!" Arnold called back.

"Yeah?" She turned around.

"Barry will be celebrating his birthday this summer. Would you like to come with your wife? Our children are best buddies so... Or you can just drop her if you don't want to spend all afternoon with staring parents..."

Barry's parents had wondered if they should invite Sophia's mothers like that rest of the other children's parents. Do you really send a children's party invitation to a Grammy winner and a film director whose movies had posters hung everywhere in the city? Even if your children are best buddies? They had to put out feelers first. And they had to do it quickly as the school year was almost over.

"Of course! Just let us know when," she said with a smile.

"Perfect! Talk to you later then," he said, satisfied.

It was actually feeling good not to be an outsider to the school's life - to be spoken to like any other mom. To actually be like any other mom, famous or not, lesbian or not, was relieving. Brittany wouldn't forget to tell Santana that she had met Arnold, and that they really had to go to this party together. It was also good for them to meet some other gay parents. Their toddlers were still so little, but they were best mates, and they would probably grow up together. Fate brought them together and made them stick together naturally. Maybe even Barry and Sophia felt like they had to stick together to confront a future where other parents and other kids could give bad looks. Perhaps they already got it. Anyhow, both Arnold and Brittany knew it was a good thing for both of their children.

"Yeah. See ya!" She waved on her way to the parking lot. "Did you hear that, baby? You're invited to Barry's birthday party!"

"I never went to a birthday party!" Sophia started, her breath stuck in her throat when imagining the wonderland that a birthday party could be.

"I know, it will be your very first," Brittany answered with fond eyes, her steps light. "We'll have to look for a present for Barry! Is there anything you think he'd like?"

"He loves fire trucks! Can we buy him a real one?"

Brittany laughed, unlocking the car. "No baby, I highly doubt his parents would like a real fire truck in the middle of the living room..."

"Maybe they would! You should ask them," Sophia negotiated, pulling her best grin and her most beautiful blue eyes, the ones nobody could resist.

"No, we're not buying a real fire truck," Brittany held on, speaking clearly with big eyes. "And even if we did, how Barry would play with it? You guys are still so tiny, you could barely reach the top of the tires!"

"I'm not tiny!" Sophia pouted, clearly off-put by the comment.

Giggling, Brittany grabbed her by the waist to help her sit in the car. "You're right. You're my big girl. My big, big girl..." she said tickling Sophia before buckling her. Sophia immediately forgot her whining.

"Can we buy Mama a fire truck too?"

"Why's that?" Brittany inquired, taken aback by the unusual question.

"Because Mama is sad. Maybe a fire truck will make her happy again," Sophia admitted naturally.

Brittany froze, hands on the seat belt about to buckle it. How do you explain your daughter that the only thing that made your wife get out of bed was routine, too sad to take part in her own life? Brittany thickly swallowed. "She's not sad, she's just tired."

"Barry said that when you cry, you are sad or you're hurt. Mama cries a lot, but she doesn't have no band-aids. So she's sad," Sophia explained her little simple train of thoughts.

Brittany didn't know what to say. What Sophia admitted echoed with her own sadness. Brittany was just a better actress than Santana, she could hide her puffy eyes better.

"You know what? When we get home, why don't you draw her very big drawing, to tell her how much you love her, okay? We can do it together if you want. How does that sound?"

Sophia smiled wide, "_Cool!_"

The storm had passed. Brittany closed the door and took her seat behind the wheel. All along the road back home, she held onto it fiercely, a nervous response as she dealt with her own emotions. If Sophia started to really understand that something was up, or worse, if she talked about it with Santana, Brittany couldn't even begin to imagine the disaster it would cause in her wife's heart.

- o -

Good thing Julie, Brittany's mother, had proposed a girly afternoon of shopping, all out together. It was the perfect thing to keep Sophia busy on a Saturday afternoon. This way, the little girl could window shop countless toys and her aunt and grandma would be there to provide the decent amount of cuddles and smiles an almost-4-year-old child required. If Brittany, Santana - too sad to go out - and their daughter had been locked in together for a whole weekend, it would have definitely bored Sophia more than one could possibly stand. Santana and Brittany just didn't know how to do with their little girl anymore. How to laugh with her when they were really sobbing inside. They felt guilty about it, but what else could they do? They were worn with stress and painful hope. Brittany was the only who could provide some sort of kindness, forcing herself to compensate for Santana's behavior. Santana was just absent, far away. Even hoping seemed painful, too hard to do. Little by little, she was resolving herself not to carry anymore, even if she was still under probation after the very last insemination.

Brittany and Santana walked hand in hand, a few steps behind Chloe, Julie and Sophia, who were all very happy to be together. They were making the little girl jump over the street's sidewalks, Sophia bursting into laughter almost every time. Brittany's family enjoyed being with Sophia almost too much, so they barely realized how quiet the supposedly happy couple was.

When they all passed in front of a baby clothing shop, both their hearts sank. They both suddenly looked at the ground, trying to avoid, at all costs, the torture looking at such a window implied. All these pretty onesies, pink dresses for girls, blue pants for boys, all proudly hung the air... It just all reminded to Santana how empty her stomach felt.

"Oh look at that! It's so pretty!" Julie pointed at the shop's window.

"Aww yeah, you're right! Too bad you're too big to wear it, bug! It would have looked gorgeous on you," Chloe kidded, talking to Sophia.

"Ask the shop, maybe they have one big enough for me!" Sophia tried, realizing she was on the verge of getting new clothes. Chloe laughed. Sophia never missed an opportunity when it came to get toys, candy or clothes.

"Oh she's right, maybe they'll have it. She's not that tall after all! You should go take a look together. Here, take my credit card," Julie said rifling through her purse to give her daughter her wallet. "Go together, I'll just stay outside with them," she instructed with a smile.

"Okay then! Come on, Sweets! Let's get you a new look!" Chloe blurted joyfully, dragging Sophia inside by the hand.

"Mom, you spoil her too much," Brittany managed to say despite how ill-at-ease she felt in front of this particular shop. Santana just turned around. She just didn't want to see. She just stared at other shop windows, the pavements... Anything would do but the baby clothing shop, just... _anything_.

"That's what grandparents are here for!" Julie spat giggling. "You deal with the crying and the whining, the bad stuff! And we deal with the gifts... the happy stuff!" Julie laughed.

_If you knew what I'd give to hear more crying in my house,_ Brittany thought. She cracked a smile in her mother's direction to make her believe she was actually taking part in the conversation. She squeezed Santana's hand, the brunette too busy looking at her shoes.

"Oh! That reminds me... You know, your cousin Paige?" Julie started to chat to break the heavy silence around.

"From Minnesota?"

"Exactly! Well, she sent me an invitation for her baby-shower! She was trying to have a baby with her husband, for four years. _Four_ years! Can you believe it? And she's 39 now, she was kinda in a hurry ya know... So yeah, inseminations, IVFs, fertility tests for both of them, all that mess, but no, nothing worked. But thank God, she's finally pregnant! Apparently they have tried a new technique of some sort, but what matters is that it finally worked!" Julie said all excited.

"Wow Mom... They're... _lucky_," Brittany managed to say.

Julie puffed. "Lucky? Do you think they really are, after spending four years trying? It's more of a miracle than luck, sweetheart!"

It was becoming harder for Brittany to pull her best poker face, especially when she knew, even without looking at her, that Santana would probably look even sicker than usual hearing all of this.

"But you know, those things can take a lot of time sometimes..."

"Pff, it takes a lot of time when something's wrong, yeah! I mean, we all know her husband loves rum more than he should and that she smokes _way_ too much. If they had both stopped years ago, I'm sure everything would have happened much faster."

Santana turned even more away, trying to escape her mother-in-law's gaze at all costs. She had to turn away before Julie would catch sight of her growing puffy eyes.

"Still Mom, sometimes it's just a matter of luck..." Brittany tried, her last attempt at pulling her best face forward.

"No, really Honey. Your lifestyle helps, you can't convince me otherwise. Look at Santana! A happy and healthy woman, it was no surprise that it worked on the first time with Sop-"

"Mom!" Brittany interjected hurriedly, and gave her best fake smile right away, to make believe she just got an idea that couldn't wait. "Why don't you go inside see if you can find something for Paige's baby-shower?"

"But I have no idea of what I should buy-"

"Maybe you'll have some luck," Brittany insisted. "I'm really thirsty, though. We'll just wait for you there, at that coffee shop around the corner," she said pointing at the first place she saw, desperately looking for an escape.

"Oh, okay! I won't be long!" Julie said on her way to enter the shop.

Unsurprisingly, Santana was looking at the ground, her lips pursed on the verge of crying. Brittany squeezed her hand.

"Come on, let's walk a bit," Brittany offered in her sweetest voice and hit Santana's heavy silence.

They walked to the coffee shop, taking their time. The refreshing summer wind was the only nice thing at the moment. Santana kept staring at her steps. The grey concrete was safer to look at than the crowd - dozens of people who were probably able to conceive gorgeous children. A sick jealousy conquered her mind and heart. She identified with this so-called Paige, convinced to the bone that she was in for the same destiny. Santana felt like she was only at the beginning of an insanely long road. Maybe her thirties was the use-by date of her uterus. Maybe she and Brittany would really have to reconsider the idea of Brittany carrying. She felt like a failure for the first time in her entire life. A pathetic, useless and complete... _failure_.

Brittany chose a table far from prying eyes. Santana let herself fall on the chair, too sad to act normally. Huddled up, she slid her cold hands between her thighs and waited like that, a little poor thing that didn't belong anywhere.

Brittany took the seat in front. She looked for the right words to reassure her tearful wife. She had tried to reassure her so many times over the last months, nothing right that she hadn't already said came to her mind anymore.

"What can I get you?" the waiter asked.

Santana looked out the window, avoiding his gaze. Outside, a glowing, sunny June day was filling the street with joy. It just seemed unfair. Everybody got to enjoy their lives in the sun, while Santana's mind was a gloomy day of November.

"Two black coffees, thank you," Brittany said all eyes on Santana.

She put her hands on the table, waiting for Santana to hold them. But Santana ignored her, too busy drowning herself into sorrow.

"My love," Brittany insisted, whispering.

Santana slid a hand in hers, moving her shoulders, sick with care, and then very slowly, she slid the other. Brittany stroked them, trying to warm the cold joints. She played with her engagement and wedding rings, a pretty crown of gold and diamonds enlightening the dry skin of Santana's hand, the skin of someone who didn't care about moisturizing them anymore, someone who was too sad to care about being pretty.

"There you go," the waiter left the coffees on the table and left immediately, sensing the heaviness of the moment.

Brittany tried to catch Santana's shifty look, unsuccessfully. "It's gonna work... _someday_."

Santana stared back, threatening tears forming at the corner of her eyes. "What if it never works?"

"It will, it _has_ to," Brittany prayed out loud, forever stroking Santana's icy hands. "How could it be any other way?"

"I don't want to hope, Brittany... It's too painful..." Santana admitted, her voice like a cry.

"You need to hope, _I_ need you to hope."

"It's too hard," Santana weeped.

Brittany slid a hand out of their embrace to dry her wife's face with tender strokes. "It _is_ hard, but it's not impossible. As long as we stand together, nothing's impossible."

Santana kept staring with big eyes, impervious to any of her words.

Brittany breathed out, sad and exasperated. She had hoped never coming to that point, but she was forced to admit she had to play her last card. Santana just didn't leave her any other choice. There was no way Brittany would let Santana embrace a life where she wasn't believing in herself anymore.

"You remember when you held me in the street, when I got stabbed..." A river immediately flew down Santana's cheeks. She couldn't stand the memory, the worst image she could ever recall: Brittany about to die in her arms. She couldn't hold tears back anymore when Brittany pronounced those banished words, when Brittany's own eyes were wetting. "I want you to remember that day-"

"Brittany-"

"Let me finish," Brittany insisted, grabbing her hand back and squeezing them, hard, in the middle of the table. "I want you to remember this day when we almost got separated forever. Me dying-"

Santana cried even more. "Brittany, don't-"

"_Me dying,_" Brittany raised her voice just enough to cover Santana's plea, "Me dying or you dying is the only way to eradicate hope from our lives for good, do you hear me? As long as we are together, healthy and hand in hand, anything's possible. This is a promise I'm making to you. I promise to do everything I can to provide you a happy and hopeful life," she squeezed their hands closer to her heart. "But you have to promise you'll do the same for me, I can't do it alone..."

Santana remained petrified. She squeezed back despite her shaky hands.

"Do you think you can promise me that?" Brittany asked, looking for Santana's eyes with all her honesty. "That you'll have hope for the both of us... baby or not?"

Santana closed her eyes, nodded, agreeing from the bottom of her heart. Santana let go of their hands and stood up. She took the seat next to Brittany, took her face with both hands, and pulled her beloved into a deep kiss. Brittany's words couldn't feel truer. Each time she kissed her wife, Santana knew she was at home. Anywhere in the world, no matter how old they were, in what condition they were... Brittany was right, they stood together, always.

"I'm sorry I failed you..." Santana apologized in a whisper.

"You didn't," Brittany said grabbing her chin to look right in her eye. "But I don't want you to fail the baby you'll be carrying one day. The one you might be carrying right now," she dared saying, challenging Santana to actually jump into the same boat with her, and together they'd be able to stop being so sad and hopeless.

Santana dried her tears avoiding Brittany's stare. "I might not be..."

"But you're still _might_ be. I know 'maybe' is a tough word, but Sophia has been a 'maybe' before being a baby, Santana. Don't forget that..." Brittany said, a barely audible whisper between the two of them. Santana curled up against her, rested her head on her shoulder. At least she knew that Santana was now listening to her. "We just have six days to wait until we can do a pregnancy test. Six days are nothing in a lifetime... Remember how Sophia's first 6 days passed so fast?" she tried with a smile looking down.

Santana chuckled, a miracle. "She was growing so fast..."

"She was such a sweetheart... I don't know what happened," Brittany attempted at kidding, and was glad to hear Santana shyly giggling.

Santana eased herself against Brittany, finally relaxing a bit. "She teamed up with Chloe, that's what happened."

"Oh don't you put the responsibility on my family! I heard your mother tell her she'd get anything she wants in her life if she's pretty," Brittany said smiling.

"My mother would never say that. Those are completely false allegations!"

"She did-" Brittany started fighting back.

"Hey you two," Chloe said casually, holding Sophia by the hand and followed by her mother. She took a seat and made Sophia sit on her lap.

Santana discreetly finished drying her tears, just in case, curling against Brittany. The blonde made diversion, "Did you clean out the shop?"

"Almost! But it's only because they didn't have her size for some of the outfits," Julie explained all smiles, taking the last seat around the table and putting all the bags down. "We got her a very pretty hat-"

"Show Mommies my hat!" Sophia instructed clapping in her hands.

"Ladies and gentlemen... Well, ladies and _ladies_," Julie kidded grabbing the hat in one of the bags. She put the hat on Sophia's head in a quick move, the hat just a little too big for her head. Sophia struggled not to have it falling on her eyes, but considering her large and glowing smile, it's was obvious she loved her pink and yellow striped hat _very_ much so. "Ta dah!"

Santana giggled, all shrivelled up against her wife and holding her by the waist, "You're such a diva, babydoll."

"But a pretty diva!" Sophia insisted, proud smile and sly look, making everyone laugh around the table.

"You're so swag, Soph'," Chloe laughed, stealing Brittany's cold coffee and sipping it.

"You're gonna rock the beach with that hat this summer! The other girls will be so jealous," Brittany joked for Sophia's greatest delight.

"Oh! Speaking of the beach, are you coming with us on vacation this year?" Julie asked, already planning their annual trip to the beach.

Brittany and Santana exchanged a weird look. They had only planned small getaways to the sea, figuring they'd be too busy with upcoming IVFs. But with the little talk they just had, Santana figured that maybe, a real break with the family could be a good thing, for their own sake.

"You know what, we should come with you," Santana offered staring deeply at her wife. The blonde raised an eyebrow. That wasn't planned at all. "We should... take a break too," she explained, her eyes telling a story.

"Like a month-long break?" Brittany inquired whispering. If they heard, she figured her mother and sister would just assume they were talking about planning, just sheer planning. A break sounded indeed very wise, a little stress-free summer pause to resume trying when they'd all be tanned, relaxed and rested.

"Yeah... I think we need it, we're a bit stressed I guess," Santana confirmed. "It could be cool to chill out all together."

"Totally. It's settled then, we're all leaving together! Where are we going?" Brittany proudly announced.

Julie applauded softly, as a blessed mother. "I'm glad! I must admit you guys have been looking a little down lately. A good family vacation will put you back on your feet, ladies!" she said intentionally. Maybe they would be willing to explain their puffy eyes but for today, Julie would keep her questioning to herself. They'd be much more willing to talk during their approaching vacation.

"Gosh, you're so saving my butt, Britt! That sounded like two weeks of absolutely no fun with the parents!" Chloe spat, relieved. She knew that with her sister and Santana around, at least, she could have a decent summer.

"Can I come too?" Sophia asked all innocent.

"Of course you're coming! We're not gonna leave you alone at home!" Santana laughed. "And now you have such a pretty hat, you'll have to show it off at the beach!" Santana kidded, grabbing the edge of her daughter's hat and shaking it to make her laugh.

- o -

All night, Santana had nightmares. It was always the same thing when she had her period. She could feel her hormones trick her, forcing her into a very irritated state of mind. This morning was no exception. She woke up already feeling moody and her stomach was in a complete mess. She was feeling good only when all curled up under the covers at the other end of the bed.

"Wake up, my love."

Santana barely turned around. She had no will to talk but their morning cuddle would do just fine. Eyes closed, she groped around to find Brittany sitting in the bed and, face down, slid her arm around her waist. This all she was willing to give this morning. Brittany scratched Santana's hair playfully.

"No..." Santana grumbled in the pillows.

"You have to, we have some serious stuff to do," Brittany said, a shy joy coloring her words.

"...What?" Santana croaked. She opened an eye and looked up. Brittany was proudly showing two pregnancy tests with a grin. "Oh hell no!" Santana protested burying her face in the pillows.

Brittany chuckled, "Santana, your period is two days late! We have to check."

"It's just jetlagged for whatever reason... I have stomach cramps, it's just a matter of time," Santana spat.

"Please."

"There's no point of doing it. I'll have my period tonight or tomorrow so I'd rather not twist the knife in the wound with a negative, Britt."

Brittany grabbed her shoulder to make her turn around. Santana wouldn't move, so Brittany insisted, laying on her with all her weight.

"Please," Brittany asked in the depth of her eyes.

Santana breathed to swallow the weight in her throat. "I can't handle it if it's negative again..." she admitted in a murmur. "Please, don't make me do it..."

"I waited two days already, I can't stand the wait anymore. Do it... for me," Brittany persevered.

Santana looked away, already feeling sad. What Brittany was asking was too much, way too much for her heart to take. What if a test was positive, and the other negative. Or worse, two negatives. Santana just rather wait for her period. Hoping was an ordeal she couldn't put up with.

"You remember what you promised me the other day... Please..." she pleaded, pouring her heart. Santana thickly swallowed the lump in her throat again. "_Please_..."

Santana shrugged, exasperated. She grabbed one of the pregnancy tests Brittany was holding. Only the love she had for Brittany could make her do it, nothing else. She was definitely not doing it for herself.

"Thank you..." Brittany breathed out, relieved. Santana tried to pull away to actually go but Brittany kept her from doing so. "Both of them, we can't be sure enough," Brittany insisted.

Santana threw her a mad look, her wife was asking too much. She grabbed the second nevertheless, the grail for Brittany letting her go.

"I hope you understand how terrible that makes me feel," Santana muttered, standing up and sliding her feet in her slippers. Brittany followed, actually happy that Santana listened to her.

"I do-"

"And that it's gonna be all your fault when I leave this fucking bathroom crying my heart out because I'll have my period or whatever," Santana threatened.

"Only mine and nobody else's," Brittany said reverently, following her wife in the corridor.

"So you know, I hate you right now," Santana spat, hand on the bathroom handle.

Brittany pulled her into a hug, gave her a deep kiss Santana barely reciprocated. "I love you even when you hate me-"

A door crackled. "Mommies, I'm hungry," Sophia yawned going out of her room, all about sleepy eyes and messy hair. She walked out of habit in kitchen's direction, lazily dragging her feet and her cuddly blanket on the ground.

They pulled away. "I'm coming," Brittany said. She eyed her wife one last time before going to the kitchen.

"_I hate you_," Santana mouthed and dove in the bathroom.

Brittany cracked a smile, "Come on baby, let's go make your breakfast."

She grabbed her daughter and held her in her arms. Sophia was walking way too slowly for Brittany to handle it, with all this stress rushing in her bloodstream. Once they entered the kitchen, she made Sophia sit at the table, and hurried to give her something to keep her busy. She put the cornflakes box right in front of her, knowing the little girl would try to read the very few letters she knew despite her young age. She then kept herself busy with pancake mix to cook and the stove to warm.

"Mommy, what's the first letter of 'cornflakes'?"

"It's a C. It's like that." Brittany turned around from the counter to show her daughter what a "C" looked like with her hand. "It's like an unfinished circle. Can you find it on the cornflakes box?"

Sophia grabbed the box on the table with her tiny hands and looked for it. She loved to play the letters game at breakfast. Sometimes, Brittany joked about it, and told Santana she transmitted her 'morning newspaper disease', this ritual consisting of reading the newspaper while drinking her morning coffee. The blonde loved playing this game so much, she just found it too cute. And Brittany needed it this morning more than any other mornings.

"It's that!" Sophia spat loudly pointing at the box. Brittany left the pancake she was cooking to check for a second.

"No, this is O, like the first letter of Ocean. Or like in Sophia! You have an O in your name, baby."

"Like Auntie Chloe?"

"Yup, Chloe has a O in her name too-"

"Morning," Santana entered, shaking nervously the pregnancy tests. She quickly put them in the middle of the kitchen table. "Don't touch that Soph', it's mine," she said kissing the top of her daughter's head as a hello. She went by Brittany and whispered in her ear "I can't believe you made me do this..."

Brittany turned around in a hurry. Santana gestured with her head to look on the table, where she had left the petty criminals. She had no strength to wait while looking at them. Brittany took the pan off of the burner to focus better. "How much longer?"

"Two minutes. Hold on, let me cook, I need to do somethin'..." They switched and Brittany held her from behind, taking the two minutes as hardly as Santana.

"C... O..." Sophia kept trying to read the box in the background. Good thing she was busy too because her moms weren't really able to distract her at the moment.

Brittany breathed nervously in Santana's neck as the brunette failed every pancake she was making.

"P... No! It's a R... R... " Sophie kept going until she stopped, suddenly very quiet.

"What's after R Soph'?" Brittany asked, her face buried in Santana's hair. She tried to focus on the word Sophia was trying to read.

"E, Mommy!"

"No, E is close to the end of the word. What's after R?" She was getting really anxious. She peeked over Santana's shoulder, the pancakes were getting worse and worse.

"It's E after R!"

"That's not possible, baby. Read again."

"It's E! I know E, like in Pierce!" Brittany pulled away to see what the hell her daughter was talking about. Sophia had a pregnancy test in her hand, and was focused hard on deciphering each letter.

"_Sophia!"_ Brittany yelled. She rushed to get it from her daughter's hands but she was clutching it so tightly it was impossible to grab it. "Give it to me!"

Santana turned the burner off in a hurry. She turned around to watch the scene, petrified, and breathed in her hands to calm herself down.

"But I try to read it! I'm not finished!" Sophia defended herself.

"Give it to me Sophia! Give it to me _now!_" With a big whining pout from the one being scolded, she took her tiny fingers off of the test. Brittany held it firmly, grabbed the other one on the table and walked straight to Santana without looking at the results. They should look together.

The pressure was too high. Santana was almost dying, her feet glued to the ground with anxiety. "I can't do it... I can't look at it," she admitted shaking.

Brittany came so close to her that they hardly were a inch apart from each other. She had to look at the results on her own. If it was negative, she'd have to tell Santana by herself and the idea was heartbreaking. But she had no choice. She couldn't force Santana to do it with her, not after the plea Brittany had to make to get Santana to take the tests.  
Brittany took a breath from the deepest recess of her body. She opened her hand, rested the tests flat so she could read them, and carefully read the results. Once, then twice - she had to be sure. She remained silent, frozen in her position eyes locked on the tests. Suddenly, she fell to her knees. A strange force pulled her to the ground. She felt like the shadow of herself, swamped by emotion. She buried her face against Santana's stomach and started to cry.

Santana felt her tears coming. Another fail was too hard to take. Her sadness started to crush the last shades of hope she had, the ones Brittany had managed to awaken just a few days before. She watched Brittany crying, convinced to the bone she would never have another baby. Sick cries started to shake her. This was her nightmare.

"You're not-... having sto-stomach cramps..." Brittany stammered, crying her heart out and saturating Santana's shirt. "Oh Santana... you're having morning sickness..." Brittany looked up, her crying turning into full laughter.

Santana's eyes went wide and her throat tightened. She put her hands around her neck to ease the feeling. "No... _No_, you're lying..." she let out even more terrified. She had been too desperate to even start to believe the truth, that she was pregnant.

"I'm not, I'm... _so_ not," Brittany confirmed between laughs.

She stood back on her feet, her legs weak, and handed out the two tests. Santana grabbed them forcefully, shook them hard to be sure it wasn't a mirage, and finally peeked down. Her ribcage instantly became mad. She paced shaking her hands to get some air, hyperventilating, as if she was about to faint.

"No... _No_... This can't be true..." she ranted, peeking over and over again at the tests, both proudly engraved with eight letters that meant Heaven, and each time ended up craving for more air. Brittany came to her rescue and held her close. "This can't be true. It can't be true, Brittany!" she said drumming on Brittany's chest with the tests, fighting back her hope so hard not to have the biggest disappointment of her entire life.

Brittany kissed her neck, and whispered tantalizingly "You're pregnant..."

Hearing her wife murmuring the doomed word, the last pieces of doubt and reason exploded. She melted, laughing and crying in her lover's arms, realizing her ordeal was well and truly over. Brittany lowered herself again to kiss her stomach, again and again, welcoming a little baby into their world.

"I'm pregnant!" Santana cried out before bursting into hysterical laughter, holding on Brittany's shoulders not to fall out of too much emotion.

Brittany felt tiny hands touching her back. She turned her head and saw her daughter completely lost. She just didn't get anything to the situation. Sophia stared with big eyes and a strange pout sticking to her lips.

"Why you are laughing?" Sophia inquired all innocent.

But Brittany was so happy, she couldn't think about any baby word to explain it clearly. She grabbed her by the waist and made her fly, giving her big kisses on her cheeks.

"No! Put me down!" Sophia protested. Brittany complied, making her twirl until her feet would touch the ground. She knelt to watch her in the eye and took her round cheeks in her palms.

Sophia looked back and forth between her moms, more than skeptical. They were so weird, passing from crying to laughing hysterically in less than a second... It's was almost frightening. It was a mix of emotions maybe a bit too much for her 4-year-old mind. Her pout grew larger, on the verge of whimpering.

"Oh no baby, don't cry!" Brittany tried to calm her laughter into sweet chuckles not to get her daughter even more scared.

Santana dried her tears, taking deep breaths to try calming down. "Mommy ordered a baby at the baby factory," she managed to explain before another round of tears flew down her cheeks.

Sophia immediately relaxed and locked eyes with Brittany. Her face shone. "When the postman will deliver it?" she inquired hurriedly, already wanting a baby to play with, just like her friends had back home.

"But we already have it! It's there, in Mama's tummy," Brittany explained between two heavy chuckles, pointing Santana's lower stomach. "I ordered a very tiny baby, and I put it in Mama's belly, and it will grow in there!"

"Oh Britt..." Santana breathed out. Hearing Brittany explaining her upcoming pregnancy to her babydoll was a dream come true. A thing she had thought lately would never happen.

"Like a kangaroo mom?" This very smart little girl connected right away with pictures she had seen on her school's walls. It was making sense like that.

Santana turned on full-on laughter, and Brittany died because of her daughter's cuteness.

"Yeah, exactly! Mama is like a kangaroo mom... I gave her the little baby, and she'll finish building it for us, right there, in her tummy," Brittany confirmed with all her love for her family pouring in every word.

Now that Sophia was smiling, reassured and actually very happy, Brittany stood back to hold her wife. They crashed together. Happiness flew down their veins, and... relief as well. Finally, they had the result they had expected and were desperate to get one day.

"We made it," Brittany whispered for Santana only, thanking aloud the unidentified factor that had made it possible, that had finally granted all their wishes. All signs of her previous sadness, the dark circles around her eyes, her hollow cheeks, her tenses muscles... they just vanished. Santana was suddenly glowing, her eyes like two black shiny diamonds. "Oh my love..."

"I'm _pregnaaaaaaant!_" Santana almost yelled, her feet drumming on the ground.

* * *

Ta daahh! Let's welcome a new member in the Pierce family :) So, boy or girl? Shout what you prefer in the reviews! :) Feel free to submit names as well! I'm a little stuck on that one... Have a great day everybody!


	5. The Surprise

Brittany and Santana just arrived in Ferguson's office to get Santana's blood test results. They weren't anxious. They knew that Santana really was pregnant. Her morning sickness was becoming heavier, despite the fact she was hungry all the time. Maybe her mind was tricking her, maybe her subconscious was making her mimic everything a woman with child should do or feel. However, once she had realized she was pregnant, Santana had rushed to the first drugstore to buy additional pregnancy tests, all proudly revealing the same exact result. Not even the shadow of a doubt came darkening their cheerful spirit.

"Alright, let's open the Holy Grail," Ferguson said playfully as she grabbed a sealed envelope in front of two very excited women. "Ready?"

"Please..." Brittany almost pleaded. Ferguson opened the sealed envelope and checked Santana's results with a neutral expression. She compared with the previous ones.

"Well, I'm very glad to announce that you're not-so-surprisingly pregnant," Ferguson kidded.

"Oh I _am _very pregnant," Santana laughed under Brittany's happy gaze.

"Madeleine, I have to show you something, speaking of which..." she said bending towards her purse and taking a small bag out of it. "Look at this piece of art, a masterpiece!" Brittany laughed, thrilled and proud. She put in front of their doctor all the tests Santana had done, all neatly lined up in the bag, dozens of white clones.

"You did _not _keep those!" Santana nearly died of embarrassment, hiding behind her palm.

"Yes ma'am, I sure did!" Brittany laughed.

"Oh my god, how many are there?" Ferguson said all cheerful. Of course, her own joy couldn't compare with the moms'. However, she very dearly cared about them and was immensely happy for them.

"15, I counted," Brittany chuckled. "All positive."

"I must admit that I've seen a lot of very determined mothers but Santana, you're-"

"I wanted to be sure, okay!" Santana admitted half-giggling. "You can't be sure enough! Can we skip on my pregnancy test addiction, please?"

Ferguson chuckled, "Let's see those precious results-"

"Thank you!" Santana breathed out.

"It's cute, though," Brittany kidded, mouthing a kiss. Santana just made a playful face in return.

"So... It's good! Your levels are very high, that's great! Even higher than your last pregnancy actually. We just have to make sure it remains this way, 'cause they're pretty perfect. Come on, movie time!" She indicated for Santana to head toward the sonogram device with a small head gesture.

"Already?" Santana started, perplexed. "I thought I wouldn't have a sonogram to do before a good month like last time."

"Yup young Lady, we can't be sure enough! I want to see with my own eyes what's happening down there. Come on, on the chair Santana!" Ferguson instructed playfully.

One thing was certain, Santana and Brittany looked beyond happy. Santana tiptoed playfully to the chair, smirking and her glance all excited. She jumped on it like a child on Christmas morning. She eased herself on the chair until she felt really comfortable. But her mind was in such bliss, she could have sat on the bare floor and still feel comfortable. Brittany watched her do with caring and blessed eyes. She was pretty quiet, but she was the one protecting. She grabbed her hand tenderly once Santana had unbuttoned her jeans and lowered them a bit, when they were all ready to have a preview of their little baby.

"Sorry, it's gonna be cold," Ferguson said out of habit putting the gel onto Santana's flat stomach.

"I couldn't care less about that," Santana laughed.

She already loved this little routine of gel and sonograms, medical prescriptions and lists of foods forbidden to eat. She just loved it too much already.

There were only shades of grey and black on the screen, nothing they were used to. Brittany wondered how such a blurry image could offer any information. But Santana and Brittany stared, so very fascinated. In this grey storm was hiding their baby, probably too small to be seen from non-expert eyes.

Ferguson chuckled to herself, still very focused on the screen.

"Why are you chuckling?" Santana whispered, mesmerized.

"You're _very _pregnant," Ferguson just said, as she kept checking.

Santana was too thrilled to be concerned about the little smirk on Ferguson's lips. Brittany, however, caught sight of the doctor's expression softly changing. Brittany kept glancing back and forth between the doctor and the screen. There was no need to check on Santana. She was already rocketed to Heaven.

"Yup, very... _very_ pregnant..." Ferguson muttered, giggling.

"What do you mean?" Brittany inquired.

"She means I have a baby in my belly, you don't need a diagram to get it. You know how this works!" Santana laughed, eyes riveted on the screen, hoping to catch sight of something. "Where is it? Show me!"

Ferguson held a loud chuckle and coughed to swallow it. She threw a quick glance at Brittany, having more and more difficulty remaining very professional. Brittany smiled wide.

"What did you mean?" Brittany insisted, started to guess that something unexpected might be happening.

Ferguson braced herself, all excited. "It's there," she pointed at a dark stain in the middle of the grayscale. "You see that?"

Santana melted, in love and fascinated. "Yeah..."

"Okay, so that's your first baby," Ferguson said very carefully.

"Wait, what? What do you mean?" Santana's mind was suddenly all dizzy. She peeked hurriedly at Brittany who was lovingly chuckling. Brittany squeezed her hands. Was Ferguson serious then?

"And this dark shape here, it's your second amniotic sac... hence, your second baby," Ferguson kept going, pointing at the screen to show them.

Santana's eyes went wide and her jaw dropped. She froze, staring blank at the screen. "You've got to be kidding..."

"Congratulations, you're expecting twins," Ferguson said with care. She knew it was something both moms had to swallow before enjoying it.

"You're... sure?" Brittany asked. Emotion left her stammering.

"Couldn't be more. We can see it now 'cause they're in two different sacs. But honestly, if they had been in the same one, I wouldn't have been able to see it until the next sonogram," Ferguson explained in front of a dumbfounded pregnant mom, and a more than blessed mom.

"Oh my god, Britt..." Santana turned her head from the screen and grabbed Brittany's shirt, in need of to holding onto something. "Twins...!"

Brittany breathed deeply to calm herself down. "I know..."

Ferguson gave Santana a tissue to remove the gel from her stomach. As she rubbed it off, she suddenly felt _very_ pregnant. Her stomach felt so heavy, so big already. It was way too crowded inside. She buttoned her jeans again, being extra careful as if too-tight jeans might crush them. Brittany walked her back to the office, more protectively than ever.

Back at her desk, Ferguson explained it all. "Well, with this new information, a little reminder seems necessary... You really have to keep it cool until your 8th week, anything can happen until then, especially with twins. We'll have to be really careful during the first trimester... So basically from now on, only safe activities, and by safe activities I mean reading and doing the dishes. By the way, if you could do the dishes while sitting, that would be awesome. Am I making myself clear?" Ferguson kidded despite her seriousness, trying to make them relax a bit.

"Okay," Santana softly answered, taking the news.

"And another important point too, don't forget about the diet: no uncooked food, whether it is vegetables, meat or fish, especially not fish. The thing is to avoid all food that might contain bacteria. No alcohol. No smoking, of course," Ferguson kept explaining, staring at her patient to be sure the load of information wasn't too much for them in such a small space of time. They were dumbfounded, but they still seemed okay. "Do you drink coffee on a regular basis, or tea...?"

"Yeah.. Hm-... A lot of coffee."

"Okay, it's not terrible but you'll have to restrain a bit, one per day would be perfect. Too much caffeine isn't good for the babies."

Santana started to realize all that it implied. The extra care, of course, but also the fact that she'd be helpless sooner, too heavily pregnant to do anything, two beds in the room, twice as many diapers to change... Two babies would upset their lives more than she could imagine.

"I can't do without my morning coffee," Santana admitted in a whisper.

"So we'll keep that one. But feel free to try some caffeine-free coffee..."

Santana pictured her sacred strong black morning cup of coffee packing its little bags and leaving. With all these new details Santana hadn't ever planned, her mind started to list all the things she couldn't do without while being pregnant so she could check if it was still possible for her to do them.

"Please tell me I can still go to the pool. I need to go swimming while pregnant! It's the only thing that relieves my back..." she pleaded, both hands gripping the edge of the desk. Ferguson placed her hands on top and staring deep, she stated.

"You can go swimming."

"Thank God!" Santana spat loudly.

Brittany rubbed her wife's back. Taking care of her, being protective was the only thing that helped her deal with the big news. As long as Santana was fine, they both were fine.

"Madeleine..." Santana focused to choose the right words for her state of mind, "Will it be like last time? Even worse?" She bit her lip, frowning.

Ferguson leaned on her elbows, taking a strong position to reassure the couple. "Last time was your first. Most of the time, it's always a bit more rocky than the following pregnancies. Your body already knows what to do, it's kind of... prepared. Remember that last time, you were working a lot, under a lot of stress, and most importantly, you didn't know what a pregnancy was like. Now you're prepared, you'll know when to slow down, how to rest better and stuff. Honestly, there's no need to worry. Plus we're going to watch you a bit more than usual. It's all good, really."

"But it's a risk pregnancy, right?" Santana asked, worried.

"Technically, it is, because there are more parameters involved so we have to label it differently in our medical records. But it doesn't mean it's riskier at all. Think about it, all pregnancies have the same amount of risks, so..."

"But what about the delivery? I mean..._ Two_..." She shrugged, taking in the situation as much as she could. Brittany kept stroking her back to ease her, Santana obviously assaulted with a million questions.

"Actually, a twins delivery is usually easier for one simple reason: smaller babies. The first makes room for the second. It's as simple as that." Ferguson said very softly, with a big smile to calm Santana down. "I know it may sound odd to say it like that, but it's true."

Santana leaned back in her chair, thoughtful. She glanced at Brittany. She needed to know, to be sure that everything would be okay. Brittany smiled despite the little frown in her eyes.

"That's some news..." Brittany shrugged, somewhat happy.

"But it's good news!" Ferguson spat cheerfully.

Santana fidgeted in her seat, trying to relax her shoulders, "Well... that is indeed _some _news. Whether it's good or not, I don't know yet..." she admitted looking at her feet. Brittany stroked her cheek to bring her back to her.

"We'll just have a large family sooner than expected, that's all," Brittany said softly around a reassuring smile.

Brittany was as perplexed as Santana, but she knew that more organization, even if a massive undertaking, was not impossible to do. They both had a great family to support them and great friends to hold onto. They weren't alone. It was indeed impressive job ahead of them, but they had everything they needed to raise those babies. So Brittany was fine.

"I guess we will..." Santana said, shrugging, finally admitting that they were having twins.

- o -

"Santana?" Brittany whispered in her wife's ears, in the middle of the night. Spooning her, Brittany raised her head to see her eyes better. "Don't pretend you're sleeping, I can hear you crying..."

Santana didn't answer. Feeling Brittany move, she huddled up even more to hide. Brittany turned the bedside light on but it didn't convince Santana to turn towards her either.

"Talk to me, love," Santana gave up, turned around and curled up in Brittany's arms, drying her tears on the blonde's shirt. "Tell me what's going on."

"Twins Britt..."

"I know, honey... but why does it make you so sad?"

"Do you realize everything this implies?" Brittany said nothing, waiting for Santana to spill all her thoughts. "It means changing the car, moving to a house with garden... I don't want to leave this apartment! I love it. We have so many memories here. I just don't want to leave it! And I'll have stretchmarks... like, everywhere, and I'll be huge and tired and sick... All the time!"

"Shhh... shhh..." She stroked her hair and her back.

"I don't want all that..."

"San, we don't have to change everything..."

"Oh course we do! Twins Brittany! Everything has to change!"

"No, not at all... We have two huge cars that can totally fit three car seats in the back. We have two guest rooms we can turn into nurseries, not to mention the two rooms we use for offices - we basically don't even use those anymore... We don't have to move at all honey..." Santana kept sobbing in her arms. "And yes, you'll have a bigger bump than last time, but Ferguson will prescribe you the best creams. And we'll have a lot of help, from our parents, Chloe, even Quinn and Carla will have your back... We're gonna take care of you, my love... Don't worry about that..."

"I know, but it's so scary... I was prepared for one, not for..._ two_." She said with a desperate tone. Brittany pushed her on her back and topped her. She wanted to look directly into her eyes.

"Santana... Do you want to talk about... reduction?" The word was hard to pronounce but Brittany wanted to be sure Santana could have a chance to spill everything that was bothering her.

"No!... Of course, not!" Brittany was reassured. The mere idea was creating a huge hole in her own heart. "No! I love them! Both of them!"

"I hope you do 'cause they are making me really happy," Brittany softly said, bending to grant her wife a kiss.

"It's just that... I'm shocked I guess... How do you not freak out?"

"The more babies I have, the happier I am," she answered with a huge grin cutting her face in two. "If it's only the 'logistical' part that's bothering you, we have everything under control, really," she kissed her again. "Dry those tears San, they have no reason to be. You heard what Ferguson said, the first weeks are crucial so we're gonna be super-careful but it'll be fine, I promise it'll be fine."

Santana cuddled against her. "What are we gonna do now?"

"Live from day to day, relax... and try not to think about all the organizing until we know they're safe for sure."

"But what about the vacation, with your parents? Are we still going?"

"Of course we're going! Life goes on and anyway, you'll be better laying in the sun than stuck in this apartment all day, right?" She finally made Santana smile with her sweet words and her huge grins.

"Probably... But Britt, I'm not ready to tell anyone just yet. I want to keep it just between us for a while."

"Yeah, same here. But why are you saying that?"

"'Cause we'll have to hide it."

'Right..." Brittany thought about her sister and mother's insane curiosity. "We'll manage! You know what, I'll take care of it. I'll try to cloud the issue and stuff. I'll manage, but really, don't worry about that. Your mission is to simply relax in the sun. I'll handle the dirty work," Brittany chuckled.

Santana smiled, feeling loved, "How did I end up with such a caring wife?"

"How did I end up with such a smoking hot mama?" Brittany laughed in her neck and kissed her with all her heart.

- o -

Santana rummaged in the closets of one of their guestrooms. Hearing clicking sounds and Santana's grumbling, Brittany came to her rescue.

"Babe, what are you doing in her-" she said opening the door and catching sight of Santana standing on a chair, trying to pull some luggage off of a shelf in the closet. "_What do you think you're doing?!"_

"I wanna sta-... start packing but this goddamn suitca- Holy shit! This suitcase is freaking stuck in this closet!" she grumbled pulling on the stuck luggage.

Brittany froze with this vision of horror. Her pregnant wife on her tiptoes on an unsteady chair pulling with all her strength on a heavy suitcase that seemed like it was about to fall on her at any minute. She rushed over and grabbed her by the waist.

"Britt, give me a boost please, I'm just short an inch-"

"Get down," Brittany instructed firmly but Santana didn't pay any mind. "Get the fuck down Santana!"

"What are you doing?! Help me!" Santana protested as her wife tried to make her step down.

"Santana, step down or I'll swear to God that...!" Brittany stopped herself.

Santana left the suitcase to look at her, raising an eyebrow, "That what?"

"Just step down, _please_," Brittany begged, her hands praying.

"I'm just pulling on a suitcase, I'm not running a marathon!"

"Just get down from this chair, I'll get it for you. Just please..."

Santana shrugged, held onto Brittany's shoulder to step down and did so. "Seriously, you're freaking out for nothing. You're totally overreacting."

"I'd rather overreact than bring you to the hospital after a fall," Brittany said quite embittered by the worry, as she climbed onto the chair to pull the luggage out of the closet. Santana raised her hands to grab the luggage. "Hands off!"

"But Britt!" Santana let out exasperated.

Without a look and determined not to let Santana do anything that could be dangerous, she dragged the suitcase into their bedroom.

"Dead serious Britt, we have to talk about this. Can you just let me do something today?"

"Choose safe activities then," Brittany spat dragging the heavy luggage.

"Britt, you didn't let me do the vacuuming this morning. How could a vacuum be dangerous? Just tell me 'cause I really don't get it," Santana ranted, following Brittany in the hallway.

"The bending."

"Oh you've got to be kidding me- _Ugh!_" Santana started as Sophia, running in the hall like a torpedo,

accidentally crashed into Santana's stomach with all her weight.

"_Sophia!"_ Brittany let out, overwhelmed. Santana and Sophia had apparently decided to be the end of her that day. "What did I tell you about running in the house?"

"Sorry..." The little girl apologized looking at her feet.

Santana fixed her daughter's messy hair, "It's okay baby-"

"No, it's not! She crashed in your stomach, Santana! You have to be careful with Mama, Sophia! Remember that the babies ar- that _the baby_ is fragile and hurting Mama might break it," she almost threatened, pointing at her daughter with an accusing finger.

"Yes, Mommy..." Sophia said reverently out of habit, but she didn't seem to take the scolding to heart either.

"Am I the only one in this house to actually care or what?" Brittany lost it. "Can't you just pay attention to what you're doing? How many times do I have to repeat the same thing over and over again: _you don't run in the house!"_

Sophia started to whimper, her pretty blue eyes lost in a tearful sea.

"This is the very last time I'm gonna say it... If I catch you running again, you're going to get a time out. And not in your bedroom. I'll send you to the guestroom without any toys. Is that understood?"

Sophia remained frozen, crying and quiet, looking at her feet.

"Answer me! Is that understood?" Brittany insisted coldly.

"Yes, Mommy..."

"Now, clear off!" Brittany said and the little girl immediately went back to her room. At least Sophia knew that she wouldn't be scolded there.

Even if Santana was totally with Brittany on the fact that it was not okay to run this way, she couldn't help but feel bad for their daughter, paying for her Mommy's stress. This pregnancy was making Brittany way too nervous. The blonde seemed already about to explode and Santana was only a couple of weeks pregnant.

"Brittany..." Santana breathed out. "You know what, I'll pack later. I'll just... go read a book or whatever. Would you prefer that?" she asked with her softest voice.

"Yes, please..." Brittany admitted from the bottom of her heart, exasperated.

"Just leave the suitcase in our room. We'll pack together tonight, okay?" Santana offered, understanding Brittany's stress after all.

Santana put a kiss on her wife's cheek to ease her a bit, "But really, I'm fine!" She insisted already heading to their room to grab a book.

Santana then went to the living-room and curled up on the sofa. Other than a space shuttle crashing into the middle of the room, it was an absolutely danger-free and drama-free activity. She started reading, Brittany coming in every once in a while to check on her. It amused Santana. Luckily she understood her wife's excessive care. She felt loved, taken care of... even if she also felt very bored. But boredom never killed anyone. Santana just went with the flow. She would probably be useless in the house when she'd hit her final trimester. Brittany would have to do everything, taking care of Sophia, the house, and obviously Santana as well. Brittany would have to deal with the organization of their babies' room on her own. Even if Santana was concerned with physical matters, her future condition, Brittany was worn with worry about everything else. Santana understood very well why Brittany was so stressed. They both had to deal with worries, just different kinds of worry. So if seeing her reading was easing Brittany, Santana was more than willing to do so.

Sophia tiptoed in the living room, carrying with her a box of bandages. It wasn't just a regular box of bandages, it's was the magic box of Winnie the Pooh band-aids, the ones Brittany and Santana used to calm their daughter down when she hit herself, wasn't really hurt but wasn't calming down at all either. Those bandages were very powerful. Once they stick to your skin, they protect you and nothing else could ever happen to you. But careful! You couldn't use them too much, you really had to use them only when something really bad happened.

Sophia carried her little box very carefully, holding it with both hands, eyes still puffy from all the crying. Without a word, she walked to Santana and put the box on the sofa to get a bandage out of it. She lifted her mother's shirt to uncover her stomach.

"What are you doing, Sweets?" Santana said, putting her book down.

"The baby need a magic band-aid," Sophia explained, trying to remove the packaging.

Moved, Santana grabbed the bandage, unwrapped it and revealed a very colorful Winnie the Pooh bandage, the biggest of the whole box. Brittany, who was crossing the living room for whatever reason, caught sight of the scene.

"Britt, look at what your daughter's doing," Santana called, all smiles. Brittany came closer. "Tell Mommy what you're doing."

"I put a band-aid on the baby so nothing can happen to it," Sophia repeated the same words her mothers used to say when she was hurt.

With her tiny hands, she stuck it flat, very carefully and looked up reverently to Brittany. Her eyes could tell a story. She was feeling so guilty and one thing was certain, the lesson was very well learned. Her mothers didn't know their daughter could be any cuter than usual. They melted.

"That's very good, sweetheart," Brittany congratulated. She stroked her hair, "Very good..."

Brittany felt guilty. After the hard scolding she had given, the way Sophia made amends was just incredible. Maybe had she been too harsh with her. Even if she had good reasons to yell, Sophia just gave them a good reason to be congratulated as well.

Brittany kneeled and stroked her daughter's face. "I'm proud of you, my daughter. What you just did was really good. You're a good girl... I'm very proud," Brittany said, lovingly tucking Sophia's messy locks behind her ears. "I'm sorry I yelled so hard earlier. You didn't deserve it," she admitted.

She pulled her into a hug and gave her a big kiss on her cheek that rocketed Sophia to Heaven instantly. She hated when her mommies were mad at her. She hated it so much. She beamed. She just wanted to fix the damage she might have caused. But in the end, she was unexpectedly rewarded. She was glad to have won her mothers' love back just by taking care of the baby. It seemed such a natural thing. It seemed so simple, so easy to do.

"Come here," Santana made room on the sofa and opened her arms for Sophia to cuddle. After a last kiss, Brittany let her go. No need to say it twice, Sophia climbed onto the sofa and threw herself in her Mama's arms.

Stroking her hair and cuddling her tight, Santana locked eyes with Brittany. Both had agreed not to tell her that Santana was expecting twins just yet. Just in case, just to be safe. But with Sophia acting like this, it was hard not to tell. She deserved to be included in the big secret.

"_I want to tell her,_" Santana mouthed quietly. She rested her head against her daughter's, so moved.

Brittany nodded. Sophia was sometimes naughty and behaved badly, just like any child. However, she was smart and very caring sometimes. She always came up with brilliant and colorful ideas, an innocent imagination at its best. They were very proud. At this particular moment, she deserved a reward for being so sweet to the "baby".

"Soph', we have to tell you a secret," Santana pulled away and made her daughter sit. "Do you want to know?

Sophia nodded furiously. She just loved secrets too much.

"But it's a big responsibility, nobody should know. Not even the grandparents, not even Auntie Chloe-"

"Not even Barry?"

"Not even Barry," Santana confirmed. "Nobody. It's a _very_ big secret..."

Sophia looked at Brittany, who was nodding in agreement with a very serious expression. "Do you think you can keep it? It would be very bad if you told someone..."

"I won't tell anyone! I promise! Tell me!" Sophia started, thrilled.

"Okay then... You know when Mommy ordered the baby at the baby factory?" Santana began and Sophia nodded. "Well, Mommy was very lucky because there was a special offer that day. She got two for the same price," Santana explained under Brittany's chuckles. "It means I'm carrying two babies. I have two babies in my tummy."

Sophia's eyes went wide, dumbfounded. "But the other baby need a band-aid too!" she started and immediately grabbed the box. She flicked through, but there was no bandage left as big as the one she stuck on Santana's stomach. "Mommy, there's only tiny ones, we need a big one! What are we gonna do?" she panicked.

Brittany laughed, "I think that..." she chose one in the box, "That this one will do just fine."

"Are you sure?" Sophia asked worried.

"Yeah, couldn't be more," Brittany confirmed beaming. She unwrapped the bandage and handed it out to Sophia.

The latter stuck it right on top of the previous bandage, and very proudly, contemplated her great work. Brittany and Santana shared a loving look. Could they daughter be any sweeter?

* * *

Ta dah! I'd like to thank you all for voting and suggesting names! That was really awesome, and it gave me many ideas for the twins :) Keep reviewing! All your comments really help to get inspiration and keep this story going :)


	6. The Holiday

_**Note**__**: **_Some of you may have read the original "Love Grows" oneshot I posted a looonnggg time ago on my tumblr blog. This chapter includes the same scenes adapted to a multichapter story's style so even if it looks identical at first, there's actually way more details. Also, I added _**completely new scenes**_ to connect this chapter with what will happen next (this chapter is twice longer than the oneshot, and it's actually the longest chapter so far!) so read it anyway, you won't be disappointed ;) (let's hope so! haha...) Thank you for all your amazing and hilarious reviews, they warm my little heart... :3 Happy reading :)

* * *

Santana had been the last to wake up that day. Not that she was tired, but they had found out that one of the side effects of this pregnancy was Santana's heavy sleeping patterns. And to be honest, Brittany had no heart to wake her up. They were away on vacation, so she could sleep as much as she wanted, or needed. When she had finally surfaced, she joined her family on the beach lining their hotel complex.

She felt eyes leering on her while putting her stuff down and preparing herself to lay in the sun. She peeked around, the beach was quite deserted and they were the only ones, Brittany's family and them, to chill around the terrace lining the beach. She caught sight of Chloe fixating on her a little too intensely to be natural, a couple of feet away laying in a deck chair close to her parents.

"Your sister's watching me," Santana whispered as Brittany looked up from her reading, comfortably laying on her chair.

"What?"

"She just can't stop staring at me. Do you think she figured it out already?"

"How could she, you're not showing yet."

"A little... And my boobs are kinda bigger... "

"It's just like you had a big meal or whatever. And besides... I highly doubt my sister would check you out like that, it's just...no, it's gross," Brittany giggled and went back to her reading.

"I should wear a one piece suit instead of this... maybe..." Santana wondered aloud, peeking down at her bikini.

Brittany chuckled. "Right, so she can figure out that something's up for sure. Come on San, when was the last time you wore one? Seriously?" Santana laughed. It was probably when she was 4 or something. "Really, don't worry about that," Brittany tried to erase her wife's stress with kind words.

"It's gonna be so awkward Britt..." Santana admitted. They had just arrived yesterday, and she was already feeling like an FBI agent undercover.

"Tell me about it... Oh my god, when Dad made you taste that sushi last night... Good thing he insisted on only one cause I died watching you eating it... We really have to find a valid excuse for you not to eat uncooked fish, one's fine but if it happens again-"

"But I didn't eat it."

"What do you mean?"

"I created a diversion and let them believe I made Sophia taste some sushi, but it was actually mine," Santana explained with a proud smile. "She really saved our asses on that one!"

"Heaven-sent child!" They laughed. "Though, we really have to figure something out for you to not drink any alcohol... I can't drink our both glasses like last night for the two weeks to come, I'll end up an alcoholic or something..."

"You drank it?! I thought you threw it in the plant behind us!" Santana started, eyes wide open.

"Shhh!" She quieted her wife from curious ears. "I hadn't thought about the plant, though..." Brittany admitted, suddenly very disappointed in herself that the idea hadn't crossed her mind.

"Oh my god! I'm so sorry Britt... Yeah, we really need an excuse," she leaned in her chair, thoughtful. "Too bad Sophia's too old for me to have pretended to be still nursing her..."

"I feel like Mata Hari," Brittany joked.

Her father, Andrew, just got out of the water, carrying a soaking wet Sophia in his arms.

"Good morning, Santana!" He greeted as he let Sophia run and climb on Brittany's lap. "How was it to sleep in?"

"Extraordinary!" Santana answered her father-in-law.

"How was the sea with Grandpa?!" Brittany cuddled her daughter.

"We jumped in the waves!"

"Wow! How big were they?" Sophia threw her tiny arms in the air the wider she could. "That big!" Brittany emphasized.

"But that's so huge!" Santana started all smiles at her daughter's enthusiasm.

"Is your hangover any better, Brittany?" Her father kidded. Santana held back a chuckle.

"Hm... Much better, thanks..."

"Good cause tonight we're doing it again, Tequila Night for the grownups! Latinos vs. Dutch, I want to know who holds the liquor best! Now if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go rest in my chair because your daughter has exhausted me for the rest of the day," Andrew said jokingly. "Bye girls!"

"See ya!" Santana sang, faking enthusiasm.

Brittany swallowed. "Babe... We're screwed."

"The plant Britt, take the seat near the plant..." Santana pleaded.

- o -

Unfortunately, the Tequila Night Andrew planned had ended up on the porch of the little house they were renting for their getaway. A porch where there were no seats next to plants. Santana had tried everything to slow the shots, but Andrew was pretty determined to get her wasted. Thanks to their wonderful tricks, nobody had realized Santana hadn't been drinking a single drop. However the next morning, Brittany swore she would never, _ever_, drink Tequila again. Or any alcohol for that matter. With her sunglasses under the sunshade, the sun still felt like torture for her wasted brain. Santana just said nothing, she felt way too bad about it. But there was nothing she could do. She had already tried everything. She had even considered drinking a shot to save Brittany from it. One baby single shot which wouldn't cause too much damage to the babies. But it was still a not good, hence she had stopped herself right away, caught by reason while her heart was sobbing for her wife's dedication.

Thankfully, Sophia behaved really well that morning, so Santana felt slightly better because she knew Brittany wouldn't have to endure a naughty child in addition to her massive hangover. Peacefully playing in the sand right close to them, she was an angel.

"Mama, I'm thirsty!" She let go of her plastic spade and came to her mama's side. Hearing her daughter ask for something to drink, Brittany held her throat. Even the simple idea of drinking made her want to throw up.

"Climb on my lap, little monkey" Santana said as she looked for bottle of water in a bag.

"Is it Mommy's water?"

"What water?" Santana frowned as Sophia drank.

"The water that makes Mommy funny!" Sophia blurted innocently between two gulps.

Santana's eyes went wide. She was sure Sophia had been asleep during all the time they had drank - well, during all the time Brittany had saved Santana's sweet butt. She must have escaped her room for whatever reason without them knowing.

"How do you know about th-"

"I'm gonna throw up..." Brittany swallowed the lump in her throat.

"No, it's not..." Santana said carefully, feeling so bad for her wife. "You're not allowed to drink Mommy's water for a good 20 years, sweetheart. And it's not okay to sneak out of your room like that, understood?"

"Yes, Mama," Sophia answered calmly as she kept drinking. "Can we go play in the waves?"

_Playing, what an innocent word,_ Santana thought. It's about laughing, enjoying the moment. But in their daughter's mind, playing meant making her jump in the waves, again and again, keeping her from running all around like crazy since Sophia's favorite game was to be caught to make her fly in the air like an airplane. Keep her from being swept away by strong currents. Sit, stand up, sit again on the sand. Rush not to get wet by the running waves. Bend over and over again to collect shells. It sounded like a lot of fun to Sophia, since it made her burn a lot of energy and use every muscle. Playing in the waves, a huge, big, fat mountain of fun.

Santana replayed in her head Ferguson's words: _"So basically from now on, only safe activities, and by safe activities I mean reading and washing the dishes. By the way, if you could do the dishes while sitting, that would be awesome. Am I making myself clear?_" Santana peeked at Brittany, fighting with all her drunk energy to actually remain alive. She definitely was on her own on this one. Santana sighed. Being pregnant and being forced to rest, _yay. _

"How about we walk along the beach? Walking's nice, huh?" It was the safest activitiy Santana could think of. At least she still could walk with her daughter, walking was fine, she reassured herself.

"But then we go play in the waves?" Sophia insisted innocently. Being pregnant with twins and having no choice other than resting, _double-yay. _

"Soph', wanna go with me?" Chloe said aloud from her chair. Santana's struggle must have been really easy to read on her face if it motivated Chloe enough to come at her rescue.

"Yay!" Sophia shouted, extracting herself from her mama's arms in a rush. She stopped right away. "Can I go?" She added with pleading eyes, realizing that she hadn't yet received her parents' permission.

"Yes baby, you can go," she answered, relieved. Chloe came to take the girl and put her on her hip. "Thanks Chlo!"

"I need to stretch, don't worry. Wanna walk with us for a bit?" Chloe added with a defying amused look. "_If you could do the dishes while sitting, that would be awesome. Am I making myself clear?" _Santana thought.

"Thanks, I'm just gonna stay here to watch Britt..."

"I'm going to die. She needs to stay here for my last moment," Brittany insisted, suddenly very concerned by the conversation.

"Alright..." Chloe said skeptically as Sophia kept bouncing on her hip, thrilled to go play.

"Have fun!" Santana ended the conversation in a hurry, she needed it as soon as possible. Chloe shrugged with an expression Santana couldn't really read and they left.

"Britt, she knows." Santana whispered so Brittany's parents couldn't hear.

"She doesn't."

"The fuck she knows, I'm telling you."

"You're being paranoid again."

"I swear I'm not. She asked me last night if I had some pills because she felt nauseous."

At the idea, Brittany swallowed her saliva. "We basically all... _swam_ in Tequila last night, everybody's sick."

"But she could have asked Julie. I told her I didn't have any, but it doesn't change the fact that she came to _me_ just for asking for pills."

"Maybe Mom ran out of them, I don't know. But she doesn't know, really. You know Chloe, if she knows something, she can't keep her mouth shut."

"True..." Santana fell deep in thought. "What if she's decided to play smarter this time? What if she keeps it quiet on purpose?"

Brittany chuckled, mocking. "My sister, quiet on purpose? Like... for real?" Brittany laughed. "She wouldn't know how to keep it quiet, even for a million dollars! Really hon, it's all good."

"Yeah, you're probably right..." Santana bit her lip.

- o -

"Oh no," Brittany let out right after Sophia hadn't reached the bathroom fast enough before throwing up. She ran to rescue her daughter. "Baby, you're alright? Do you want to throw up again?" she said already leading her to the bathroom, carefully walking around the disgusting disaster.

"Mommy, my tummy hurts a lot," Sophia cried out.

"Yeah, I figured baby... Just stay close to the toilet, like that, hold it," she said positioning her daughter in case she'd throw up again, holding her hair back. Actually, it was just in time before a second wave.

"_Britt? Where are y-... Oh my god," _Santana started, coming out of their room and catching sight of Sophia's gift on the floor.

"We're in the bathroom!" Brittany shouted.

"Is Soph' sick?" Santana inquired passing her head through the door. However, with the stinky smell all around, she herself fought some gag reflexes. She breathed into her hand to deal with the terrible odor, swearing at her pregnant woman's super-sensitive sense of smell.

"What did you eat that made you sick like this?" Brittany asked while her daughter was holding on fiercely to the toilet.

"Nothing," she managed to say.

"Sophia, we all ate the same things today and you're the only one sick here. You must have eaten something else," Brittany insisted. "Tell me. I can't help you if you don't tell me what's wrong."

Sophia hesitated. Shaken by another wave running up her throat, she decided that guilty or not, she should spill it for her own sake.

"I ate the chocolate box," she admitted, biting her lip.

"How many?" Brittany inquired softly as Sophia was emptying her whole stomach against the white porcelain of the toilet.

"All of them."

"All of them?!" Brittany started. "I told you it was okay to eat one, baby, not all of them!" Brittany shrugged, already exhausted by the kind of night that was now ahead of them.

"I'm gonna get some medication, hold on," Santana said leaving the bathroom, still desperately breathing into her hand because of the smell.

She soon came back with a glass of water and children's medication for upset stomachs. However, even with Sophia taking it, the little girl just couldn't stop throwing up.

"San, you should go fetch Chloe and go the restaurant with her, I'm gonna stay here to take care of this," Brittany offered.

"No, it's fine. Chloe can wait half an hour," Santana negotiated.

Being with Chloe, even for two minutes - the exact amount of time it would take to say they'd be late - seemed like a terrible idea. Santana had been avoiding, since their arrival, being alone with the curly blonde. The main goal was to stay away from her curiosity, her scrutinizing and her twisted brain that would connect the dots and discover their secret.

Brittany, Santana and Chloe had come back from the beach later than the parents. Consequently, they had all agreed to meet back at the restaurant a little later. Now Santana was bitterly regretting this terrible plan, already guessing Brittany would insist on her leaving.

"Babe, this is gonna take ages... Just go, enjoy your night, I'm gonna stay here and clean up. We'll join you when she's okay."

It was indeed the best option, but Santana couldn't disagree more. "You know what, I'm gonna stay. You go with your family," Santana came closer to Sophia, trying to fight the stench back. Her ribcage shrunk, shaken by growing nauseas.

Brittany let out a chuckle. "I appreciate that, but you can't." Sophia threw up again and Santana held her own throat to keep the worst from happening. Brittany chuckled again, "Go, Santana. Just go."

No need to say it twice, Santana stepped out of the bathroom. "You know what, I'm gonna call her and tell her to join me at the restaurant with your parents," she said already grabbing her phone from her pocket.

"You're not calling her, she's next door! Are you avoiding her or what?!" Santana stared at her wife, her eyes telling a long story. "You're not serious!"

"But she's gonna grill me, I know it!"

"Gosh Santana! You'd rather be rude to my sister than put your paranoia aside for five minutes? Really?"

"Well, when you put it like that..." Santana crossed her arms, between a rock and a hard place.

"Seriously, go! Go breathe some fresh air, I can't take care of two sick girls right now," Brittany ordered with a sweet smile.

Sighing, Santana went to grab her purse. With a last look for her wife and kid, she left like a lamb to slaughter, Chloe being her executioner. She exited their house locking the door as if she would never come back. Her every step to the house next door felt more painful than the last. She knocked on Brittany's family's house door sobbing inside.

Chloe opened the door, her curly hair still all wet from the shower. "Hey, Britt's not with you?"

"Nope, Soph is sick as hell. Once you're ready, we're going together. _Just you... and me_..." Santana said awkwardly.

"Bummer... It'll be fun anyway. Come in, I'm not ready yet!" She stormed in the bathroom direction. Suddenly, she stopped and turned around eyeing Santana. Chloe took notice of Santana's loose shirt, loose pants, definitely summer clothes but quite random choices compared to Santana's usual tight and sexy selections. Chloe smirked. "Want a beer in the meantime?"

Santana swallowed. Now she was sure Chloe knew. Of course she knew. All Santana wanted was to run out of the house and go back home, curl into her bed until Ferguson would finally agree that her pregnancy was now safe from any drama.

"No, thanks. I just had one with Britt before Sophia went sick," Santana lied the best she could.

"Oh, okay. I was just putting on some nail polish, come!" Chloe said gesturing for Santana to follow to the bathroom.

Santana couldn't feel less at-ease. She followed her sister-in-law to the bathroom, where the perky blonde had set everything to make herself pretty. Everything that Santana had more and more of a hard time with. Nail polishes and nail polish removers, things that Santana was completely forbidden to use. Bottles and bottles of fragrances, shampoo or soap... all these strong smells combined made Santana feel nauseous. She felt the same lump than earlier forming in her throat.

Chloe grabbed a chair on her way for Santana and went to sit on the closed toilet to finish applying her nail polish on her toes.

"You don't sit?" Chloe inquired cracking a smile. Santana would have no table to hide her bump behind, no convenient beach towel to curl into.

"Nah, it's fine. I slept all day at the beach, I need to stretch a bit," Santana tried to say as casually possible.

"Yeah, you should sleep on your back sometimes, your face is like super white and your back is super black," Chloe teased, pointing out the fact that Santana only slept face down, another trick to fight back some prying eyes.

Santana mimicked looking over her shoulder to peek at her back, faking suprise. "Oh really? I hadn't noticed..."

Chloe grinned a little wider. She offered a bottle of nail polish. "Want some?" she asked frowning at Santana's polish-free nails, unusual again.

Santana cleared her throat. The blonde was definitely trying to make Santana spill it. Or at least, get enough on her nerves to have some sort of weird consistent confirmation.

"I'd rather stay natural during the summer," Santana answered with a weird smile.

Chloe raised an eyebrow mockingly. Santana praising being natural was just a joke. With her fake boobs, fake eyelashes, and hair straightened by strong acid hair products, being natural didn't seem to belong in Santana's beauty vocabulary. Now that she thought about it, Santana's hair seemed less straight than usual. Probably because she couldn't use her favorite products anymore, that she had to straighten with a flat iron and it was way less efficient on her hair.

Smirking, Chloe resumed painting her nails in fast moves. When she was done, a couple of minutes later, she went to choose a perfume to wear amongst the bunch of bottles she had. Glancing at Santana, she chose the one with the strongest fragrance. She sprayed, creating a cloud of sweet perfume around her, of terrible torture for Santana. Naturally, Santana stepped away in need of fresh air.

"It's Damian who got me this perfume for my birthday," Chloe randomly chatted while Santana was dying, her upset stomach running up her throat. She was mentally swearing that Chloe's boyfriend would pay for this at some point. "Isn't he sweet?"

"What a babe... You should bring him over once so we can finally meet him," Santana said. At least talking about him was creating a diversion. "I mean, it's what, 4 years you're together now?" I think it's time to introduce him, Chloe."

Chloe pouted. She just kept postponing her boyfriend's meeting over and over again. It was a taboo subject, bringing to the table Chloe's inability to admit her relationship was serious was the best way to annoy her. Realizing Santana was probably doing it on purpose, she fought back.

She came closer to Santana, faking to grab a hair product. She held her neck out, "Doesn't it smell so good?"

Santana held her breath. "Awesome," she managed to say.

Chloe pulled away, smirking. Happy with her sweet revenge, she sprayed hair product all over her blonde curls. The cloud all around her was making Santana sick. Really sick. The mom felt her insides twirl in her stomach, her head become dizzy.

"I think you've put enough..." Santana complained.

Chloe ruffled her hair, making the cloud disappear but the heavy chemical smell resume. Santana couldn't stop herself from breathing back into her hand, fighting the smell as best as she could.

"Are you drying your hair or are you ready?" Santana asked, hoping for the torture to end soon.

"Yup, ready. It'll dry like that," Chloe answered with a satisfied grin.

Santana stepped away from the door to allow Chloe enough room to leave first and most importantly, stay away from the odorous mess she was. Right before the blonde passed the door, she rushed to turn around grabbing her watch around the bathroom sink. She turned around so close to Santana that Chloe's arm almost brushed Santana's stomach, almost making the brunette stumble. Santana held her breath. It was obvious it was a little rounder than usual, but it was nothing that couldn't be caused by too much food. However, if Chloe touched it, she'd realize her stomach was pretty hard, nothing like a comfy cushion of extra weight.

"Sorry," Chloe said maliciously.

Santana's jaw tightened. Santana would get her revenge someday. It was all decided. She prayed for the moment to end soon. God, Allah, whoever was listening, she fiercely prayed for the torture to end. Chloe led Santana to her room, all messy with clothes resting on chairs, and open suitcases she hadn't tidied just yet -if she ever would. Santana leaned against the doorframe, resolved not to enter the room in case Chloe had some other plans to grill her.

"I just need a vest, in case there's a breeze tonight," she casually said flipping through all her clothes. "Oh! Look, I packed this but it's actually too tight for me, maybe it'd fit you."

Chloe rushed holding pants by the waist. She was pretty determined to put it on Santana's stomach to see if it'd fit or not. Santana stepped away in no time, stopping the blonde from doing it.

"Don't you like it? It's your style..." Chloe negotiated with her best smile, trying to come closer again.

"No, not really," Santana said stepping back again, cold sweat forming around her hairline.

"Come on, you have the same in grey. Look, it'd be nice on you," she insisted, almost succeeding at putting it against Santana's stomach, her hands hardly a couple of inches away.

"Yeah, that's the point, I hate having things in double. My clothes are unique, that's it," Santana spat coldly.

Chloe stopped. She eyed Santana, a weird embarrassed expression stuck all over her face. She licked her teeth thickly, obviously wondering how she could grill her even more.

"Your loss..." Chloe came back to her clothes, It was easy to tell Chloe was having a lot of fun. She wasn't even trying to hide it.

Someone entered the house. "Santana? Chlo'? You're here?" Brittany called, the messiah entering the house to save her wife.

"Yep, coming!" Santana yelled, taking the opportunity in no time and left Chloe to her smirks. "Is Soph' any better?" she asked catching sight of her wife standing in the hall.

"Not really... She stopped throwing up, she's kind of asleep now, but I think I'm gonna watch her all night."

"No, I'll do it," Santana blurted to leave her wife no other option as she just came by her.

"But you can't," Brittany whispered for them only.

"I can watch my daughter when she's sleeping..." She grabbed her wife's hand and led her outside. "Britt, shefigured it out."

"We already discussed-"

"She _knows,_" Santana insisted with big eyes, trying to speak as low as possible. "It's a fucking Inquisition, she's going to beat it out of me. She even tried to touch my _stomach_," she mouthed to be absolutely sure they were speaking safely. "_Twice!"_

"That must be a coincidence..."

"Open your eyes Britt, she knows!"

"Whispering, whispering... If I didn't know you better, I'd swear you're hiding something from me..." Chloe sang teasingly while passing by the open door and already heading another way.

"Oh shit," Brittany let out, realizing that Santana was right all along. "This is a disaster... What are we gonna do?"

"You go with them, I'll watch Soph' and we'll figure later," Santana instructed, grabbing their house keys from Brittany's hand.

- o -

The next day, Santana had barely left her beach clothes, only to go in the water and slip in them again. She had slept face down almost all along, sometimes resting on her side the rest of the time and offering a full view of her back from Chloe's view. Brittany and Santana had downplayed things all day. But now was dinner time, the riskiest time of the day. All this food on the table Santana couldn't eat, the bottles of wine, of beer...

"San, don't you want to eat your tuna?" Chloe challenged with a mean tone, unusual from her, from the other side of the table. All of sudden, everybody stared at Santana.

"I'm savoring it, I take my time," Chloe had stared at her almost all diner. Santana just couldn't get rid of this freaking tuna stuck in her plate waiting for the moment she could figure where to hide it.

"Eat it," Chloe spat, defying.

"What are you getting at?" Julie chided.

"I love tuna too much, I'm not gonna let any go to waste. Santana, eat it," Chloe insisted. Santana looked back and forth between her and Brittany, terribly uncomfortable.

"Chloe, let Santana eat what she wants! Damn!" Andrew reprimanded his daughter's mean tone as well.

"Santana?" Chloe kept insisting. Santana looked back at Brittany; she just had no escape. Without a word, they were deciding if she should drop the news or not. "I thought you loved tuna with Tabasco..." She put the small red bottle in the middle of the table like a threat, right between them. Santana and Brittany started to have cold sweats.

"But Mama can't eat what she likes!" Sophia commented from her little chair. Both her moms' looks shot daggers at her and convinced the little girl not to go any further.

"Oh really. Why's that?" Chloe asked with a cynical smirk.

"I can't tell," Sophia answered, feeling so guilty from her previous comment. Everyone but them was quiet, waiting for Chloe's point to finally show.

"Why can't you eat what you want, Santana? I'm intrigued!" Chloe kept insisting, making Santana's cold sweat more intense. The brunette looked at her wife, who resigned, nodded she could spill it.

"Okay fine!... Fine!... I'm pregnant, satisfied?!"

"Oh my gosh!" Brittany's parents sang.

"_AH-HAH!_ I knew it!" Chloe stood up in a hurry, almost making her chair fall and pointing furiously at Santana. "I friggin' knew it!"

Santana stood up, raging like a lioness defending her babies. "You are a... _mean_... _mean_ girl, Chloe!" She tried to contain her words for her daughter's safety.

Brittany grabbed the arm she was using to accuse Chloe with a tender move. "Sit down, my love... Don't get mad, please... _Please..._"

"But why didn't you just tell us instead of sneaking around and hiding?!" Chloe inquired, thrilled.

"She's just few weeks in, we didn't want you to know until we'd be sure they're safe..." Brittany answered softly, looking at Santana with all the love she had. Even if it was risky as hell to tell the news already, Brittany couldn't help but feel a huge lump disappear from her own stomach.

"..._'They'_?" Andrew asked. Santana sat back and sighed.

"I'm expecting twins. Hence an extra-careful diet and absolutely no physical activity."

"It's supposed to be a risky pregnancy, we just wanted to go through the first weeks before doing the big announcement," Brittany explained.

"Wow, I wasn't expecting that..." Chloe let out, sitting back in her chair, dumbfounded, just like Brittany's parents. Julie stood up and danced her way to Brittany and Santana and applied her hands on each other cheeks.

"My babies who are giving me more babies!" She congratulated with her joyful high-pitched voice. Andrew came too and hugged his daughter.

"I can't believe it..." He softly said in the hug. "We didn't even know you were trying!"

"We're so going to take care of you Santana!" Julie said while embracing Santana. "How are you feeling?!"

"Good! Very good, just angry at your daughter right now, but other than that, it's fine," Santana admitted jokingly.

"Twins! You guys are having _twins!"_ Chloe ranted, having hard time realizing the news. "It's friggin' two babies!"

"Yeah, thank you Chloe, I wasn't aware of that information," Santana smirked.

Brittany laughed, "When we found out, Santana was in state of shock, she cried all night."

"Hey, I can't control my hormones!" Santana defended herself giggling.

Quietly, Sophia jumped out of her seat and then walked to Brittany. She pulled on her shirt, while the blonde was being congratulated by her parents. "Mommy..."

Pulling herself together from all the emotion of the moment, Brittany peeked down. "What is it baby?"

"Mama didn't keep the secret..." she stated looking sad. "Is she in trouble now?"

Santana sat back giggling, and Brittany herself had hard time keeping her laughter inside. Brittany crouched, "No, Mama can tell it if she wants too."

Sophia relaxed. "I didn't want Mama to get a time out."

"And Soph' knew! How's that even possible I didn't manage to grill her!" Chloe grumbled from her seat. "Like... _how_... My grilling sixth sense is broken, I can't see any other reason..."

Santana laughed. "Don't even think about our daughter failing us, Chloe." She gestured her daughter to come to sit on her lap the little girl, and cuddled her, cheek to cheek from behind. "Sophia Pierce is... _fierce_."

Chloe giggled, disappointed in herself but in the meantime, terribly happy for them. Last but not least, Chloe dragged herself to them, crouched between Santana and Brittany's seats. "Congratulations, though. That's gonna be one hell of a ride," she said beaming.

- o -

Hand in hand, Brittany and Santana were walking behind their family, all enjoying a little slow walk along the beachfront. Now that everybody knew, they didn't need to find pretexts to stop every once in a while if Santana felt dizzy. The happy couple walked slowly, while Sophia couldn't stop running around with her grandparents and aunt hot on her heels, loudly window shopping everything a bit too shiny or pink. They enjoyed the fresh wind of the beach, thinking their vacation was kind of perfect at this particular moment. Feeling blessed, Brittany peeked at Santana to see if the feeling was mutual. She caught sight of a little frown over her eyes.

"You're alright?" she inquired.

"Yeah, sure," Santana answered lightly, the frown immediately disappearing.

"Mama! You have a friend in the store!" Sophia shouted, both hands glued on the window of a toy shop.

"What the hell is she talking about," Santana said pulling away from their handhold, and walking to her daughter.

"Look! A kangaroo mom!" Sophia pointed furiously at a giant stuffed Kangaroo with babies in its pouch.

Santana heard Brittany giggle in the background. "Yeah... just like me," Santana kidded with a big smile. It felt good not to hide. "Hello Mama Kangaroo!" she waved at the window to make her daughter laugh.

"You wanna go inside with me?" Andrew offered, holding his hand out.

"Yes!" Sophia started, already bursting into the shop. Her grandfather ran to follow her.

"Don't spoil her too much!" Brittany yelled before the two disappeared in a heaven of toys.

"So, Mama Kangaroo, fancy some new friends?" Chloe kidded.

"Oh shut it," Santana laughed.

They all resumed walking, even slower than usual until Andrew and Sophia would come back out of the store. Brittany caught sight of Santana frowning again.

"Okay, tell me what is it," Brittany insisted.

Santana bit her lip. "Okay, come here," she pulled on Brittany's hand until they reached a corner and pulled the blonde in front of her so she would hide her from people's sight.

"What are y-"

Santana hurriedly undid her belt, the first button of her jeans, and let out a heavy relieved breath. "Holy Mother of God, they were so tight!" Brittany giggled from the bottom of her heart. Santana buckled her belt again leaving the button undone, and hid everything under her shirt. "Nobody will see it like that."

"Do you want us to go buy new jeans?" Brittany inquired, madly in love with her wife whose bump was starting to show.

"Nah, it's fine, I have another pair that's less tight back at the hotel. That will do like that until we come back," she explained with a smile.

Santana grabbed her hand and joined their family back in the street. She was feeling much better. It had been hours she had felt so tight in her trousers, but she had hard time realizing she was showing so much already. She'd definitely have to kiss most of her trousers goodbye sooner than expected. But whatever, it was for a good cause... such a good cause.

Brittany peeked around. There was a women's clothing shop a couple of feet away. She hesitated.

"Mom, Chlo', can you wait us for a second? I just want to see that shop over there?"

"Yeah sure!" Julie said.

"Come," Brittany dragged Santana all smiles.

"Really Britt, I have larger trousers back at the hotel, it can wait!" Santana protested, easily figuring where and why she was leading her.

"I don't want you to feel uncomfortable, even for one hour. Come!"

"But I'm comfy now it's unbuttoned," she attempted at negotiating, but Brittany was pretty much stuck on her idea.

Brittany pushed her into the shop, and flicked through all the different trousers they had. Santana decided not to agree on any. Stubborn, Brittany chose large pair of linen pants for her wife, which seemed comfy as hell and that could match the top she was wearing that day. Blushing in happiness, Brittany picked a size above Santana's usual one. Raising her voice over Santana's complaints, she pushed her wife in a fitting room under the seller's amused gaze. Santana finally complied.

"Is it good?" Brittany inquired through the curtain. Santana grumbled. Grinning, Brittany peeked, parting the curtain just a little bit. "Show me."

Santana turned around, feeling like a doll that Brittany was dressing up. Brittany giggled at her weird expression.

"Come on, it looks good! It looks comfy," she said entering the room. She held Santana from behind, slid a hand between her very small bump and the pants to see if it was tight or not. There was a very convenient gap that Santana's bump would fill in no time, hardly more than a couple of weeks. "It's perfect. Don't you feel better like that?" she cooed.

"Yeah, I do..." Santana admitted, thoughtful.

"Why are you pouting then?" Brittany raised an eyebrow, cuddling.

"I'm not, it's just... It's _starting_..." she suddenly melted, her words singing a hundred melodies. "Like, I didn't expect my clothes to be tight so soon... It's there already, _they_ are there."

Brittany snuggled. She loved this, she just loved it too much. She loved the fact that the beginning of this pregnancy was flawless. The medication Ferguson gave for her morning sickness was working just fine. Santana was feeling great, Sophia just got along very well the fact she'd have siblings soon. Most of the time, Santana complied to Brittany's extra-care. Considering how difficult it had been to conceive those babies, they couldn't feel more blessed.

Brittany stroked Santana's stomach, a so-very-small bump she could almost cover with her hand. "I love seeing them fitting in my hand already. I feel closer to them," she beamed. Santana snuggled in their embrace, feeling in love.

"Is it alright?" The seller asked in a far voice.

"Yeah, very fine," Brittany answered over the curtain. "Can she wear it out of the store?"

"Britt! Can we just pay it first?" Santana started.

"Yeah no problem, I just need the price tag. Do you want scissors to cut it off?" The seller inquired.

Brittany groped around the edge of the pants to find it. Soon her fingers crossed its way, and she pulled it out. "Don't move," she ordered under Santana's exasperated breath. She crouched and tore it off with her teeth. "It's fine, there, you can take it," she said loudly for the seller. She passed her hand by the curtain, and the seller fetched the tag.

Santana removed the belt from her too-small jeans and passed it in her new very comfy pants. She adjusted it, looking at herself in the mirror in front of her.

"Babe, you look hot when you're knocked up," Brittany kidded.

"You're just saying that because of the big boobs," Santana teased.

Brittany cuddled, passing a hand under Santana's shirt and tickling on the edge of her bra. "I don't know what you're talking about..." she said in a sultry voice, kissing Santana's neck.

Brittany kept going, just a little further than a simple tender cuddle would be. Her fingers danced along her wife's bigger breasts, rounder than usual in her bra that seemed to be slightly too tight as well. Santana eased into the embrace. Then suddenly, she pulled away.

"Dead serious, don't get me started..." She whispered turning around, cheeks all red. "I already feel chills so hands off before my hormones go all cray-cray on yo' fine ass."

"I wouldn't complain..." Brittany winked.

"_Not_ in a fitting room," Santana jokingly threatened with big eyes, pulling the curtain to exit... and they'd better exit fast.

Brittany playfully tapped on Santana's butt, only to get a mad look from the so easily turned-on brunette. Brittany laughed, lost in her reverie. Tonight would be a good night.

Once they had paid, they exited the shop arm-in-arm with the old jeans in a bag. Was it possible to look more in love, when they had stuck on their faces, those grins that could tell a story? Not really. They passed the door as if they had entered a new life, where Santana's pregnancy was concrete. More than concrete. And it just felt so good.

"Oh you couldn't wait to get home to wear your shopped treasures?" Julie kidded catching sight of them coming back.

"Yeah, kind of..." Santana said vaguely, feeling all cheesy.

"Her jeans were too tight, she needed new ones," Brittany said eyeing her wife greedily. "I don't want my sweethearts, the three of them, to feel uncomfortable."

Julie put her hand on her cheek, stuck in a very happy emotional roller coaster. A week before, life was so stuck in routine. Now, she was hearing her daughter and her wife talking about babies growing fast. Witnessing Santana's pregnancy, even for only a couple of weeks, already rocketed her into the grandparents' heaven. Very happy days were about to come.

- o -

Brittany and Santana were making mud pies in the sand with Sophia. They really wanted to give their daughter light memories about their life before her siblings' arrival in their world. Everything was good pretext to share a moment together, a happy and colorful time that would always shine in Sophia's souvenirs.

"No seriously, this castle would be so much better with a third tower," Brittany admitted from the bottom of her heart.

"You can't be serious, if we add a third tower, the castle won't hold itself, we need to keep the structure safe!" Santana started, surprised by Brittany's request.

Sophia was dumbfounded by her moms. It should have been _her _game, so why her moms were fighting over _her_ castle. She had absolutely no say, the war starting after she had asked for some help. Wanting the best for their child, Brittany and Santana started to create a marvelous castle for their sweetheart. However, since Sophia obviously had no degree in sandcastle architecture except from her plastic shapes, she had soon lost any vetoing power in the construction of her dream castle.

"But it looks like any other castle on the beach, I want my third tower on! Soph' needs an incredible castle, not just any random castle. She needs the best!"

"A drawbridge, maybe, but we're so not adding a third tower Britt! It will all fall apart!" Santana explained, her Puerto Rican temper at its best while shaking the tools in the air out of incomprehension.

"But I like my castle like that..." Sophia said with such a small voice.

"Don't interrupt when we're talking, baby," Santana corrected softly. The little girl kept looking back and forth between them, totally lost, holding her plastic rake afraid that if she touched anything, her moms would enrage. "You know what I'm gonna do with your tower Britt?" Santana grabbed a handful of sand and threw it on Brittany's lap. Shocked, Brittany raised an accusing hand between them.

"No you didn't."

"I _did,_" Santana smirked. Brittany slowly stood up, grabbed two handfuls of sand and stood next to Santana. "What are you gonna do?" she defied. Brittany slowly dropped them on her wife's shoulder. Santana looked up at her, her stare filled with revenge. Without letting go of their look, Santana grabbed a small bucket filled with water, and poured it on Brittany's legs to make sure all the sand she had on would now stick like hell.

Brittany lost it, she pulled her wife to the ground, ruffled her in the sand the most tenderly she could despite their playful fight.

"Not the hair Britt! I can't believe you put sand in my hair!" Santana laughed. "It's gonna take ages to get rid of all of it!"

"You started it! Take that!" She put sand all over her bikini.

"I'm your wife!" Sand flew in Brittany's neck. "_The mother of your children!_"

"Mom too!" Sand everywhere.

"I'm carrying!" Another fistful flying.

"Your argument is invalid and I will not accept it," Brittany chuckled loudly.

In the ruffle, Santana fell on Brittany with all her weight, laughing her heart out. Brittany made her turn around, wedged her wife protectively against the ground. Sophia watched her moms play in the sand and laugh like crazy all open-mouthed, not moving from a single inch, her rake in the air. Witnessing the scene, Chloe came to fetch the little astounded girl.

"Come on sweetheart, come with Aunt Chloe..." Hearing her sister's voice, Brittany looked up, shaken by her laughter. "There are hotel rooms available for that, you should be ashamed of yourselves!" Aunt and daughter left. Chloe's break made them laugh even more.  
Powering through their laughs, Santana dusted the grains on their faces, Brittany holding her tight. She kissed her beloved wife, with a long and passionate lip-lock.

"Come take a dip with me..." Brittany offered, feeling more enamoured than ever.

Santana melted, the way Brittany was looking at her was just utter love. "Let's get rid of all this sand," she agreed trying to pull away from the tight hug.

Hand in hand, they stood up and tried to remove most of the sand stuck all over them on their way to the waves. Taking her time to enter the water, Santana waded into the water step by step, wetting her legs and her arms and rinsing the sand all over her. Brittany dove head first into the water and reappeared feet away in a rush of crystal water and sunny blonde hair.

"Oh mermaid of my dreams, where art thou?" Brittany kidded shouting over the waves sounds, her hand stuck on her eyebrows looking for her. "I can't hear your melodious singing!"

Chuckling, Santana peeked down at her growing bump, tiny yet starting to really show. "Probably hiding behind the shoal of whales!" Santana yelled, before diving into the water to join her lover a few feet away.

Brittany gazed at the long black hair under the water, waving along in her direction. In the lagoon's water, Santana seemed so tanned, so pretty. When she emerged, her hair sticking everywhere on her shoulders and back, Brittany would have never traded a ginger Ariel for her own voluptuous olive-skinned mermaid. Santana swam away, beaming, obviously enjoying the water to the core. She didn't rush, swimming slowly and keeping herself from a too intense effort through the currents. Santana and swimming had been a long love affair, and it was easy to guess that back home, Santana would run to the pool as much as possible.

"Are you trying to make our kids grow gills?" Brittany joked as Santana was coming to her, feeling as good as a fish in water. .

"'Could be fun delivering tiny sharks biting their way out," Santana laughed, embracing her wife and snuggling in the water.

"I'm not wearing a diving suit to change their diapers," Brittany chuckled, welcoming her in her arms. "Nobody's hot in those cosmonauts suits, and my sweet ass needs to feel sexy."

"Darn..." Santana snuggled. "Doesn't this feel so good?" she pointed out, enjoying how perfect things were at this moment, their holidays... everything.

In love, Brittany died a little. She peeked at the beach, Sophia was running after a ball Chloe was sending her, her feet too small to properly run fast in the sand, creating a cloud of flying sand all around her. She caught sight of her parents, her dad taking a glorious nap under the sunshade, and her mom reading her women's magazine probably very focused on tips on how to lose weight. They didn't have to hide Santana's pregnancy anymore, and it felt just so good. Almost relieving. Surprisingly, the fact her family knew seemed to put a good spell on their babies' heads, protected and healthy thanks to a caring family. She held Santana tight, both of them softly rocked by the waves. She felt Santana's bump against her own stomach, their babies safe between them.

"Very much so..." Brittany sighed happily. "It will be hard to go back home."

Santana chuckled, "I don't even want to think about it."

"Santana, I know we agreed on not telling anyone but maybe we should do it when we get back. It feels good..."

"I know. I want to so bad now..." Santana admitted from the bottom of her heart. "I think we should at least tell my parents, now that yours know."

"Of course we should," Brittany smiled.

Santana shrugged. "I can't wait to see Alma's face, though."

Brittany bit her lip. "Do you want to tell her... alone?" she asked carefully.

Santana's grandmother was a very delicate case. Even if with time, she had learned how to deal with her granddaughter's lifestyle, with Brittany, they had no clue on how the old lady would react at them twisting the knife in the wound with extra siblings.

"No," Santana let out. She grabbed her wife's hands playfully, making the water wave even more around them. "Remember, together we stand," she insisted around a smirk.

Brittany beamed. "Yup, together we stand."


	7. The Party

Ferguson had officially given Santana the go ahead to fully live this pregnancy. She was now 10 weeks in, meaning she was safe from the worst; like a miscarriage. Her babies were clutching hard in her stomach. This and the fact that she felt marvelously well meant Santana couldn't be happier.

Consequently, Santana figured she could take advantage of her condition to start packing up at her office. She'd put on some loud music and danced around in small steps which grazed the ground in rhythm while she filed all the boxes with her files, demos and anything else she'd need to be able to work from home for a while.

She hadn't even talked to Brittany about it. She already knew how happy Brittany would be when the moment came for her to ask her wife to move the boxes from the office to their house. Santana would work from the couch, dressed in the snuggest clothes she could find. An added bonus of this arrangement was the fact that she'd be very close to her bed if she felt dizzy or in need of a nap. Santana knew this would sound like a glorious plan to Brittany's protective mind.

Once the large cupboards were emptied and filed away, she tackled her desk. Shrugging happily, she sat and looked through her purse, wading through all the mess. She soon found her bunch of keys and looked for the key she had safely kept with her during all these years and opened the last drawer. In it were dozens of demos, scores and lyrics, the one she had written and recorded in the secrecy of her studios over the past years without anybody being aware of it. She grabbed a handful of sheets and flipped through them with a satisfied look. She knew it was a gold. She was sure to the bone that a very successful album was hiding in this drawer. She'd kept it secret, waiting for the day she knew she would feel ready enough to write another page of her personal history. But right now, she was carrying a much more important page. Even more important than the silly dream of another album.

She stretched to pull an empty box closer, and very tidily classified her lyrics, her scores and all the music her heart had sung since Sophia's birth. She smiled to herself, pleased at the sight of her life's work until someone knocked.

"Come in!"

Her assistant passed her head through the door. Carla. Her super efficient assistant had been an angel during all these years. Classifying her as an assistant seemed so wrong though, Carla was doing much more than that. She was some kind of a co-worker, without the proper title. By leaving the studio, Santana would soon fix this.

"You're busy-... Wow, what's happening in here?" Carla exclaimed at the sight of all the unexpected boxes piled in haphazard piles across the office.

"Come in, come in, I have stuff to tell you," Santana told her, beckoning her inside with a hurried gesture of her hand. She grabbed a remote on the desk and stopped the music, abruptly plunging the room in a silence.

"Good thing, 'cause we have stuff too," Carla said, entering the office with Puck at her heels.

"Oh!" Santana let out, surprised to see him in the doorway. "I feel some serious talk about to happen. It's not very often you guys come together into my office," she kidded, showing them they were free to sit in the two chairs in front of her desk.

"But Santana, why are you... packing?" Carla inquired, dumbfounded at the surrounding mess.

Santana giggled, "Tell me your news first 'cause you'll be pretty smashed by mine!" She didn't wait for Carla's response however, and simply tified the sheets she was holding and put her box away.

"You haven't heard ours just yet..." Puck commented taking a seat. The two lovers exchanged a deep stare, bracing themselves.

"So?" Santana said at last.

"We're getting married," Puck blurted, pinkening acutely under Carla's proud and happy gaze. Carla handed her hand out to show Santana the big ring on her finger that could almost compete with her own. Santana's jaw dropped to the ground.

"No fucking way! Oh my gosh!" Good thing she was sitting, Santana thought, because she would have sure as hell stumbled at the news. "How! I mean... wow! Congratulations!"

"Hold on, there's more," Carla giggled, nudging Puck in the ribs with a pointed glance.

"We want _you_ to officiate our wedding," Puck announced, smirking.

To say Santana was dumbfounded was an understatement. "..._Me?_ Why?"

"Because without you, without this studio, nothing would have never happened, and I would have never met my soulmate, that's why," Carla laughed. "We figured we could fill those forms online and that you know... you could marry us."

"So you're in?" Puck insisted, leaning forward in his seat and clasping his hands hopefully.

Santana leaned against the back of her chair, taking in the news. She eyed her best friends. Carla, who always had her back at the office and Puck, who had always been around during the saddest times of her life. How could she refuse. "That'd be an honour..." Carla and Puck relaxed, radiant with joy. "But... when is the wedding planned?"

Carla fidgeted in her chair, she was obviously the one in charge of the wedding planning, "Okay, so we were thinking about March, a springtime wedding," she explained beaming.

"So in 6 months," Santana put her hand on her stomach.

"Yup, exactly."

Santana softly chuckled. She stroked her bump which was fully hidden under her large shirt. In six months, she'd probably be confined to bed, too heavily pregnant to even think about going out of the house. Her waters would probably break any minute and she'd be living the very last days of a long and careful pregnancy. She wouldn't even be able to attend their wedding and there was nothing she could do about that.

"That won't be possible..." Santana said in a whisper, glowing.

"Why not?" Puck raised an eyebrow.

"If you really want me to do it, or simply _attend_ your wedding guys, you'll have to delay it for a good month, two to be safe," she continued, stroking her hidden bump. She peeked up at them, seeing the highly confused look on their faces. "I'll be eight months pregnant by March. And it's twins so I'll be stuck in the marital-bed until they decide to say hello to the world," she explained, half giggling at the mental image.

Carla and Puck froze. "And you drop that like that!" Puck started laughing.

Santana burst into laughter, "I'm not, I told you a had a news!"

"This is not a news, it's a wonder!" Carla exclaimed, already standing up and walking towards her. Santana followed and hugged her friend. "Congratulations," Carla said in the tight hug. They parted and Carla shyly bit her lip. "Can I?" she asked raising her hand.

Santana nodded, all smiles. Carla couldn't help but feel somehow jealous when she felt the small and rounded bump through Santana's shirt, leaving no doubt that she was well and truly pregnant.

"It's so sweet..." Carla cooed softly.

"You'll get the same one day," Santana whispered for Carla only, the two friends chuckling. Santana knew that if they were getting married, it was probably because Puck wanted to do things right this time, create a family in the sheer tradition and atone for his highschool years' mistakes.

"Come on, my turn to hug the Mama," Puck said and pulled Santana in a tight embrace. "So that's why you're packing?"

"Yup, I'll be working from home for a while. But that doesn't solve the wedding thing!" she said loudly, so as not to steal any of their big announcement pride.

The fiancés shared a deep look and a huge grin. "We're delaying," Carla stated.

"Yeah, I want you there for my wedding, that'd mean a lot to me, to us," Puck confirmed. "When do you think that'd be possible for you?"

Santana let out a happy sigh, "Oh... My due date is mid April but they'll probably come out sooner than that, so let's say... Late April, or May maybe? I don't want to make you delay it for too long..."

"May should be just fine," Carla softly said. "After all, I'd be nice to see you in your first post-partum gown! What an honour!"

Santana laughed, "If I can fit in one!"

- o -

"Babe, I have awesome news!" Santana announced, her voice cutting in the deep silence while entering the apartment.

Brittany tiptoed from the corridor leading to the bedroom, and hushed, a finger on her lips. "Don't make any noise," she whispered.

"What are you do-"

"Shhh!" Brittany crept like a cat along the wall leading to the next room. Santana followed, intrigued.

Brittany checked everything in sheer silence, every corner of every room. She peeked under the cloth on the dining table, behind the curtains of the dining room and headed to the living-room. She sighed. There were so many hiding places in this huge room. She scratched her forehead, wondering where the hell Sophia could be hiding.

Santana tapped on her shoulder, and quietly gestured to her that she'd help. Very loudly, she got rid of her stuff on a table.

She sighed heavily. "I'm so happy to be back home! But I'm wondering where is everybody... _Brittany? Sophia?"_ she called teasingly, almost yelling.

A curtain moved. Probably Sophia struggling not to laugh. Santana pointed to Brittany the exact location of their precious daughter with a wry smirk. Brittany nodded and walked forward, carefully making absolutely no sound.

Santana sighed heavily again. "Too bad I'm all alone, I bought a _huge_ box of candies I'll have to eat on my own then..." A surprised breath escaped the curtain. Brittany came closer, getting ready to catch her daughter while Santana walked to the curtain noisily. Sophia giggled, tiptoed so her feet wouldn't show. "Is there someone hiding in here?" she asked, hands on her hips, filling her voice with suspense.

"No," Sophia let out innocently.

"Peekaboo!" Santana hurriedly pushed the curtain open, and Sophia ran, yelling in the other direction. Brittany caught her and heaved her up high before bringing her down, only to tickle her furiously.

"Not under the arms!" Sophia shouted trying to defend herself but she had absolutely no chance, so firmly stuck in her mother's embrace as she was. "Mommy! Not the arms!" Sophia could be complaining, yet she was laughing her heart out.

Santana watched the scene with loving eyes. She giggled at the two loves of her life laughing against the wooden floor of her living room. Quite soon, Sophia would be grown up, and she'd tickle two kids against the same floor, yelling the same pleads to stop, and crying while they laughed. Maybe one would get on Sophia's back to defend his or her twin. Sophia would struggle more than the kids and she'd end up calling her moms to her rescue. Perhaps the twins would always team up against their older sister, and that Sophia would have to master strategy to have a chance to win at least once. Santana giggled at the scene and thoughts, feeling herself melt.

When their laughs finally died, Santana held out her hand out to Sophia so she could get up. "Are you guys ready to leave?"

"Yes! Are the candies for the party?" Sophia asked, getting back on her feet and catching sight of a huge box on the table.

"Yeah, I bought the ones you told me."

"Yay!" Sophia ran to the table to check. "Barry loves these!"

"Do you think he'll be happy with the firetruck and the candies?" Brittany inquired, smoothing out her clothes and drying the tears from too much laughing.

"Yes! And he'll love them more because it's me who give it!" Sophia said proudly and true to herself, left the room running to grab her stuff for the party and actually leave.

Both moms watched as she left, chuckling. "50 bucks she's gonna date him when they hit college," Brittany challenged smirking.

"50 bucks I'm gonna slap the crap out of him when he steals my daughter's little flower, yeah."

"Score!" Brittany laughed. "You're ready to go? You wanna eat something before?"

"Nah, I'm good, I had lunch with Puck and Carla- _OH!_ The news, I haven't told you the news!"

"What news?"

"They're getting married! And-"

"Oh my god!" Brittany started, beaming happily for their friends.

Santana gestured that there was more, "And they want me to officiate it!"

Brittany froze. "Hold on, what? When?" she frowned. Even the greatest news couldn't rid her of her protective mindset.

Santana smiled lovingly at her, understanding what was going through her mind. "Relax, they're doing it in May. But I had to tell them about the babies though because they were thinking about doing it in March so..."

"Out of the question, you're not leaving your bed in March," Brittany said through a wince, big eyes hard and resolute.

Santana laughed, "That's exactly what I told them, chill..."

Sophia stormed in the room, carrying Barry's very well wrapped birthday gift. "Can we go now?"

Brittany ruffled her hair, "Yeah baby, we're ready too."

In the car, Brittany and Santana started to stress a bit. They hadn't been in a room full of strangers in... years. Decades maybe. They realized now that they were always surrounded by people from the same world, singers, actors, producers... There was no housewife or single parent in the picture. They'd have to actually talk to them and it would be totally different from when they fetched Sophia at school. Even worse, they'd be together. One of the most famous lesbian couples of the generation, eating cupcakes and chatting about diapers in the middle of Barry's parents' living room. Awkward. They'd have some major adapting to do. Their daughter had been in very famous people's arms, rocked to sleep on set by oscars winners, and nannied in the studio by singers whose contracts were worth millions of dollars. Sophia was always talking about "Mommies' friends", those friends who the parents at the party were bringing pictures to their hairdresser to get the same hairdo. They were buying their clothes, seen in the magazines, or their fragrances, which Santana and Brittany had attended the launch parties for.

Of course they had been normal parents before, like on their daughter's first day at school. But they never had to actually melt in the crowd. They had always let things flow. This time, they'd have to take the initiative. There would be no teacher to listen to, to keep themselves busy. They would well and truly have to interact with the parents. They felt weird at this prospect but one thing was sure, they were prepared for the parents' stares. Santana was wearing her loosest shirt, no long necklace that could betray her bump if it rested on it accidentally. They mentally prepared themselves not to stroke Santana's stomach too often, to avoid all the little gestures all parents knew very well.

When the GPS finally rang in front of a pretty house with a well decorated front, they braced themselves.

"We're here, baby. It's there," Brittany announced, pointing to the house.

Sophia fidgeted as Brittany and Santana got out of the car to unbuckle her and grab the presents in the trunk. Sophia was thrilled. At least, Brittany and Santana had managed to raise a normal and happy child. Sophia wasn't any kind of different to the other children. She digged the exact same things, laughed at the same games and was totally unaware of how privileged she was. And it was a good thing too, Brittany and Santana would be the only ones to feel awkward while their little devil would have a marvelous time and that was all that mattered.

Sophia climbed the stairs of the front porch two by two and jumped up and down in front of the door.

"Ring the bell, Mommies, ring the bell!" she hurried, the bell being way too high for her to reach on her own.

"Alright, calm down," Brittany hushed. "Soph', you don't say anything about the babies, you promise?" Brittany asked for confirmation pointing at her.

"Yes, Mommy!"

"We're super serious, nobody should know, not even Barry," Santana insisted.

"_Mommies!_ I'm not stupid, I get it!" Sophia was getting impatient. "Ring it!"

Both moms chuckled, and Brittany finally rang the bell after an amused sigh.

"_Who could it be?" _A man shouted playfully for the kids from the other side of the door. Arnold, one of Barry's dads opened the door with a beaming smile. "Look at that, Barry... it's Sophia!"

"_Sophia!" _Barry stormed outside and hugged his dearest friend. "Look! There's a bouncy castle in the backyard!" He grabbed her hand and they were already gone.

"Now Sophia's here, the party is officially a go," Arnold kidded, pointing to the fact that the two were inseparable. He gestured for Brittany and Santana to come in. "Arnold, very nice to meet you," he said holding out a hand to Santana, the only mother he hadn't met yet.

"Hi, Santana," she introduced herself shaking his hand.

Arnold smirked. "I know. Hi, Brittany."

Brittany shook his hand as well, and gave him the presents. "Hi, sorry we're a bit late."

"Don't worry, it's more than fine. I'm just happy you could make it. My husband will be very pleased to meet you actually but he's in the backyard watching the children," he told them casually, leading them to the heart of the house.

A bunch of parents were already there; some couples, some single parents and even some nannies to replace busy parents. Brittany relaxed. Perhaps they were famous and it could make things awkward, but at least they were there for their daughter. The both of them.

Unsurprisingly, some throats tightened when they entered the living-room of this very chic and wealthy-looking house. They started to shake all these hands, some trembling, some very firm. Brittany and Santana gave up on politely introducing themselves, after a good dozen "Oh I know", "That'd be hard not to know", "I never thought I'd meet you one day", or worse... "I'm a big fan of yours". When they were done shaking all these hands reverently, Arnold came at their rescue.

"That mustn't be easy everyday..." he said with a sad smile, apparently the only person in the room not to be that impressed by them. After all, that wasn't so surprising since their kids were best buddies. All of them knew they'd meet at some point. They had time to get accustomed to that idea.

"It's alright, you get used to it," Santana explained with a reassuring smile. "It's been years we haven't gone on a walkabout actually," she kidded.

"Oh I'm sorry, I asked for hysterical groupies, but the company only had clowns available for today," Arnold kidded making them laugh. "Come on, let's take a seat," he invited leading them to the couch, where other discussing parents made room.

Sitting around a table covered in cupcakes, candies and fruit juices, seemed like a much better setting in which to get to know each other. Santana took a comfy position, fully leaning against the couch's back. Brittany poked lightly her; her bump was showing this way. She did her best to hide her smirk and leaned on her side against the armrest, making her shirt crease to hide better. Santana already liked Arnold. He was a blonde good looking guy, with a charming and reassuring smile. He seemed chill and entertaining company. Both moms relaxed. They were in good hands in this house.

Suddenly here was some commotion in the form of squealing children that sounded suspiciously like Barry and Sophia. Brittany and Santana turned and tried to hold in their growing mirth at the sight of a man, which they guessed to be Barry's other father, carrying the two under his arms with a large boyish grin. Sophia and Barry were cackling madly in the man's hold and wriggling to try and free themselves. Arnold laughed loudly and chided his husband for kidnapping the birthday boy before he even got his presents. Brittany threw her wife a sidelong glance smiling softly and nodding towards the two men who were fawning over the children. Santana nodded subtly and squeezed Brittany's forearm in confirmation; she liked them.

"Alright, alright, everyone! I think it's time for presents!" Arnold sang.

Children all over the house began to scream in exaltation, racing into the living room and jumping around Barry excitedly. His father Eddy chuckled as he came in carrying the heavier gifts, his lean muscular body making the feat look almost easy. Arnold was at his heels answering children kindly on their queries of whether Barry would open their gifts first or not. Brittany smiled as she threw an arm around Santana's shoulders and watched as Barry tore through gift after gift, revealing numerous toy cars and Sophia's ruby red fire engine that had his little eyes bugging out of his head.

"Dad! Look!" Barry yelled and Arnold placed a hand over his heart while Eddy knelt by his son and pushed it forward.

"Are you going to thank Sophia, big guy? I think you should. That was an awesome present," Eddy told him and pushed the truck again for emphasis. Arnold nodded tearfully and Brittany kissed the side of Santana's head when her wife 'aww'ed' happily.

Barry nodded shyly and walked towards Sophia who was sitting calmly in the crowd of other kids. He leaned down and kissed her cheek and all of the adults just about died at the action; Arnold and Santana most of all. Eddy laughed and called out a "That's my boy!" just as Brittany started to fumble in her pocket for her phone.

"Okay, I gotta take a pic of that. It was so sweet I think I got a cavity!"

"Me too!" Arnold said hurriedly, already looking for his own phone. "Barry sweetheart, can you just kiss Sophia's cheek again so Papa and Sophia's mom can take a picture?"

"Do I have to?" Barry groaned, now aware of all the eyes on him and going as red as his fire engine.

"C'mon, buddy. One more pic and then we get to open the best present of all," Eddy negotiated with an eyebrow waggle.

Barry sighed dramatically and, at the insistence of his peers who were yelling things like 'chicken! Barry's a chicken!' leaned down again to plant a longer kiss on a crimson Sophia's cheek. Brittany and Arnold both snapped a dozen quick photographs before allowing Barry to race back to his father and for Sophia to settle back with her other friends and swoon over Barry's toys.

"Alright, last one, buddy. You ready?" Eddy said with a large grin, catching eyes with one of the other fathers in the room who raised his drink jokingly.

Barry nodded quickly and held out his hands, mouth dropping open when his father pulled a long package from behind his back and laid it carefully in his son's careful hold. The young boy placed the package almost reverently on the ground and started to tear it open under a dozen other kids amazed gazes. Parents were craning their necks to see what Barry would discover under all the gift wrapping and Brittany turned to Santana and arched an eyebrow.

"Ideas?" she asked.

Santana bit her lip. "I really want to say a box of legos."

"Boring," Brittany whispered in her ear. "I want to say a bow and arrow."

Santana let out a breathy laugh. "You and your obsession with Robin Hood."

"You'd totally love it if I swooped in and saved you from angry forest people with a bow and arrow," Brittany purred, one eye on Barry who had uncovered a small unmarked white box.

"Save it for the bedroom, Casanova." Santana nudged her wife's rib lightly. "We're at a kid's birthday party."

They were brought back to reality when Barry let out a loud gasp and picked a small wooden ukulele from within the box. He looked at both his fathers' in wonderment, as if asking if this was truly his and, when Arnold nodded, his face broke out into the widest grin. He strummed the strings and grimaced, looking up when it didn't automatically create a masterpiece like he'd expected.

"Why doesn't it work?" he asked Eddy.

"You've got to learn to play it," Eddy replied as he picked up the loose papers littered across the living room.

"Can you teach me, Dad?"

"Hm.. I'm sorry, kiddo," Eddy said hesitantly, sharing a look with his husband. "I don't know how to play. Hey, William? You know how to play this thing?"

The man who had saluted Eddy, the buyer of the gift probably, shook his head regretfully. "Sorry, Ed. Not feeling the music today I'm afraid."

"What? C'mon, man. It's my kid's birthday. Show him a few tunes."

William's eyes drifted noticeably towards Santana sitting peacefully at Brittany's side and shook his head once more. "Sorry, bro."

Eddy groaned and Arnold looked concerned when Santana shifted uneasily in her seat and looked at her wife. They knew William's reluctance to play was due to her presence. Who in their right would want to play in front of a musical icon? It was a sure set-up for embarrassment on his part. William sipped at his cup of orange juice and dropped his gaze down to his shoes.

There was an awkward pause which was broken by Sophia proclaiming quite loudly, "Oh! I know what it is! It's that mini guitar thing Mama has that Uncle Puck plays for me like, _all_ the time!"

Brittany had to stifle her chuckies when she saw the other parents shuffling awkwardly at her daughter's admission. Puck was a star in his own right and a household name all across the country. To hear Sophia call the legend her 'Uncle' was both unsettling and incredible to these suburban dwellers. She cracked a wry grin and winked at her daughter when Sophia turned to look at her, wondering what it was she had done to instill an even bigger silence in the room.

Santana sighed good naturedly and beckoned for Barry to come forward, distilling the tense atmosphere instantly. "Hey, Barry. Want me to show you a couple of things?"

"Yeah!" And he ran up to her with the tiny ukulele under his arm and an army of children following him to the couch where Brittany and Santana were sitting. Santana smiled in thanks when her wife scooted to the other side of the couch to give her space.

"Up you go." She heaved the small boy up onto her lap and tried not to roll her eyes when Brittany made a jerky motion, as if wanting to push the boy away, wanting to make sure his weight didn't harm the precious cargo Santana was carrying within her. But thankfully she stilled and let out a long breath before smiling at the young boy whose eyes were as round as saucers as he looked up at his best friend's mom.

Santana placed the ukulele on Barry's lap and put her arms around him, showing him the appropriate places for his fingers and asking him to strum. The kids grouped together at the base of the couch giggled when he made a false note and he scowled at them all. Sophia, with her chin resting on her hands, pouted sympathetically.

"Nice try, buddy," Santana said kindly. "What if I make the notes and you strum? We'll sing a song together. Do you know 'Over The Rainbow'?" Barry shook his head sadly. "That's okay. I'll hum along and you make the music." Seeming to like this plan, Barry smiled and took up his position. "Alright, let's go."

Barry began to strum and Santana changed the notes, beginning to hum as parents and kids alike watched on amusedly as Barry had a hard time keeping up. He faltered quite a bit and his face scrunched up in concentration, eyebrows pulling together as he tried to keep pace. The tempo was a little off and Brittany had a hard time not laughing when the humming Santana was doing didn't follow the music, but overall it was an awesome rendition for a four year old musician and his singer.

Suddenly Barry stopped and this in turn made Santana stop mid-hum. Eddy and Arnold shared a confused glance when their boy looked at his ukulele and then up at the woman who was helping him during his first ever concert. "It's too hard! Can you show me, can you play for me so I watch how to do it?" he said timidly, through a grimace, shaken by disappointment over his own abilities.

Santana's heart melted at the meek query and she nodded without thinking. Barry grinned and crawled off of her lap and into the empty space between Santana and Brittany, settling happily and waiting for Santana to start playing once more. Brittany ruffled his hair affectionately and cupped Sophia's cheek when the little girl crawled up towards them, wanting to be included. It felt like being at home again. The parents evaporated, the music from outside melted away and it was only the four of them in their living room, entertaining their children and pressing soft affections against their heads and holding them close.

"Alright, Barry. Here we go. I'm gonna play the same song again so you can see what it looks like, alright?"

Santana began to strum slowly, closing her eyes to get into the mood of the music as it began to wash over her mind. Music had always held a special place in her heart and it was in moments like these, family moments, that she realized how special it could be. She hadn't played in front of a crowd in years and honestly, at first she'd hesitated but one look at Barry's puppy dog eyes had made her mind up for her. She began to strum with more energy, hitting the palm of her hand against the ukulele for extra effect and Brittany smiled lovingly at her, watching her wife get lost to everything but the music. When Santana began to sing, her wife stroked Barry's back lightly, hoping he was paying attention and smiling at the serious look on his face as he surveyed Santana's hand positions.

Arnold felt an arm wrap around his shoulders and looked up slightly to see his husband grinning wildly at the scene playing out in front of their eyes. Their son, their Barry, was sitting between Brittany and Santana Pierce like it was the most natural thing in the world. They were getting their very own private concert from a musical genius and Barry seemed totally nonplussed by the fact, just totally taken with the way Santana's hands were moving up and down the frets. It was precious. Too precious. Arnold snuggled into Eddy's embrace and sighed happily.

Out of the corner of her eye Brittany spied the woman beside William taking out her Iphone and aiming it at Santana and felt her muscles tense. They relaxed again when she saw Eddy follow her gaze and break away from his husband to whisper in the woman's ear, who immediately put the device away with a soft blush. Brittany smiled at this and felt a new surge or respect and kindness for Barry's parents. This in turn manifested itself into a large dose of happiness, realizing that they were in a safe place at last where they could simply be Sophia's parents rather than celebrities.

She took hold of Barry's little hands and made him clap with her and smiled widely at her wife. Sophia joined in happily and soon enough all the children and parents were clapping along. It was clear Santana was having a ball and she showed this through her use of complicated jazz riffs that delighted Barry and the onlooking crowd. Sophia giggled at her mom and went all rosy-cheeked with pride when one of her friends murmured about how cool her parents were.

The song ended with a flurry of notes and Santana inclined her head in a small bow under the cheers and thunderous applause. She raised her hand up to Barry for a high-five and the little boy glowed under the attention and readily high-fived back, receiving Brittany's hair ruffle happily in the process. Arnold and Eddy watched on, seeing how well Barry seemed to fit in with the Pierce's and how normal it seemed for him to be included in their tightly knit unit.

"Thank you," Arnold mouthed to Santana over the chatter of the kids all wanting a go of the ukulele and the parent's conversations starting up once more.

Santana smiled at him and then down at Barry and Sophia playing with his fire engine, welcoming Brittany's warm arms around her and melting into the comfort as the party picked up again. She felt her wife's hand discreetly settle on her stomach and rub in soft soothing motions. They grinned at each other and looked up at a passing cough, noticing Eddy and Arnold with their arms full of dessert plates nodding at Brittany's hand and winking slyly. Brittany swallowed awkwardly and Santana laughed, dropping her head down on her wife's shoulder as they watched the two men continue to the back garden.

"See?" Eddy stressed in a whisper to Arnold. "You can't fool a gay designer's eye. He notices everything."

- o -

"Mama, is it true that I'll learn how to read next year at school? Abuelita told me they should teach us that," Sophia ranted in the elevator on their way back home after spending an afternoon at Santana's parents' house.

"Oh, I don't know baby, maybe not just yet. They'll sure teach you the letters and maybe a bit of reading but I don't know if you'd only do that," Santana explained playing with her keys.

"But I already know the letters!"

"Yeah, but that's because you're clever! You learned on your own way earlier than other kids, so you'll have to wait for them to know the letters too," Santana said with a reassuring smile.

Sophia pouted. She was hungry to learn new things. Waiting for the others seemed like no fun at all. "Can you teach me how to read?"

"I could, but what are you gonna do if you know the letters _and_ the reading before everyone else?"

"I'll skip to a superior class then," Sophia let out, the solution seemed so obvious.

Santana chuckled. They knew their daughter was smart, but they were seeing a little genius in the making. Even if they tried not to burn the steps and let their daughter do her thing peacefully, Sophia was always craving new information, new things to learn or to practise. And she wasn't even 4 yet. What would it be like when she'd be 15? Santana sighed. After all, if Sophia wanted to burn the steps on her own, they weren't about to refuse.

"Alright, I'll teach you how to read," Santana agreed as the elevator doors opened for their floor.

Satisfied, Sophia danced her way to their door with a huge grin cutting her face in two. Santana ushered her inside, shaking her head at their little devil.

"Hey you two," Brittany welcomed, already standing by the door. "How was abuelitos' house?"

"_Goooood,_ Abuelita told me I should learn how to read and Mama said she'll teach me!" Sophia smiled all proud and excited.

Brittany looked at her wife who was shrugging, meaning Sophia hadn't left her any other choice. "Wow baby, you're gonna be super smart after that."

"The smarter of the whole school!" Sophia shouted, already storming to the living-room to go play.

"Hon, you'll have to tell Alma there's no need to hurry, she's not even 4. They're supposed to read at 5 or 6, what are we gonna do in between?" Brittany asked, happy to see her daughter so curious but, in the meantime, a bit concerned by their daughter getting too much advance on the other children.

"I know... I already told her. I guess I'll have another chat with her, but you know..." Santana playfully poked her own head, "Stubborn much."

Brittany chuckled, "Yeah, I know. Runs in the family."

"Anyway, you're ready for the surprise?" Santana inquired getting rid of her stuff in the entrance.

"Yup. I just got home 5 minutes ago, I was _almost_ late!" Brittany dried the imaginary sweat from her forehead. Coming home late would have totally ruined it.

"Did you find one she'd like?" Santana asked, a fond smile stuck on her lips.

Brittany smirked, "Oh believe me, I took the cutest. She's gonna melt," Brittany admitted with a sly smirk. "Even cuter than the one we saw on their website."

"Is that even possible?" Santana joked, heading to the living-room.

"I swear, to _die_ for," Brittany whispered so Sophia wouldn't hear their conversation.

Santana eyed her wife, thrilled. "Let's go?"

"Yup... _Soph! _Come here a sec, Mama and I have to talk to you," she called.

The little girl came running. "You'll teach me how to read now?" she asked excitedly.

Santana laughed. "No, we'll see that tonight," she crouched so she was able talk to her daughter face to face. "There's something we'd like to give you first."

Sophia glanced between her two moms skeptically. "But it's not my birthday today."

"I know. What we're about to give you is not a gift," Santana advised. "This is a big responsibility. But we trust you because you're big and caring enough now. You'll have to take care of it very well, Sophia, this is not a toy."

"Take care of what?" Sophia blurted.

"Okay, bring the surprise Britt," Santana said putting her hand on her daughter's eyes so Sophia wouldn't cheat.

Smirking, Brittany went to open the door leading to the dining room a couple of feet away. "Come here buddy, come here," she whistled playfully.

A little puppy came out, stumbling on the ground every now and then. It was a little happy bubble of white and light brown fur, almost walking on its own ears. Santana softly took her hand off of her daughter's eyes, smiling wide in expectation. As Brittany walked, whistling for it to follow, the puppy couldn't stop jumping gleefully on her feet, trying to scratch her legs in adoration. When it caught sight of Santana and Sophia, it stormed into their feet, running in circles, jumping and happily shaking its tail, craving cuddles and making its collar clink.

Sophia panicked. She wasn't sure if the puppy rolling about on the floor was a gift from God itself. It couldn't be Santa Claus, it was only August. Not the tooth fairy either, she hadn't lost any teeth lately. It had to be from some sort of Lord testing her, there was no other option. Anyhow, one thing was for sure, as soon as she laid eyes on this eighth marvel of the world, Sophia saw her whole tiny life pass right before her eyes. She burst down crying.

"Oh no babydoll! Why are you crying?" Santana softly inquired, stroking her hair and hushing her gently, an act that came straight from the deepest depths of her maternal instincts.

"Is-is... is it-.. f-f-for... for me?" Sophia managed to ask between heavy sobs.

"Of course it's for you sweetie... It's yours," Brittany said lovingly. Sophia cried even more, two large torrents of tears running down her cheeks.

"You don't like it? You want us to bring it back to the store and choose another one instead?" Santana worried. She had never seen her daughter reacting so strongly ever before.

"_NOOOOO!_" Sophia shouted as if her life depended on it. She shouted so loudly that both moms had to step back a little. Even the little puppy froze for a second. No doubt, she had Santana's Latin vocal chords.

Santana grabbed the little puppy to make Sophia cuddle it. It was so small that it fitted in only one hand. The puppy couldn't stop licking Santana's fingers affectionately, fidgeting and squeaking happily. She raised it to her daughter's level, keeping it still as much as possible so Sophia wouldn't be afraid by so much energy.

"Look how sweet he is! Stroke him!" Santana hurriedly glanced at Brittany. "It's a him, right?" Brittany nodded chuckling. "Good. Stroke him, don't be scared," she said softly.

Sobbing, swallowing all her tears, Sophia braced herself and attempted at stroking the little shaky head of her new puppy. The dog immediately tried to lick her tiny fingers. Sophia let him, enjoying it more than she could have guessed. Little by little, she got used to it, and Santana left him in her daughter's hands. Sophia cuddled it tight, wiggling her face away from the sudden onslaught of a ticklish tongue licking her face. The tears were soon replaced by laughs.

Brittany and Santana smiled wide. "You'll have to give him a name," Brittany said.

"Mr. Mango!" Sophia gasped. She had obviously dreamed about a little puppy before, how it'd look like and how she'd name it. In her colorful 4 years old mind, Mr. Mango was a badass name.

Brittany chuckled, "Hello Mr. Mango!" She eyed her wife. Santana's eyes were wide open with a weird smile, trying hard to hide the fact she had expected a name a bit more traditional. "Mr. Mango is fine! If she likes it," Brittany defended her daughter.

"I didn't say anything!" Santana said standing back on her feet. "If we ever come to lose him somewhere, you'll be the one yelling "Mr. Mango" in the streets," Santana said whispering to Brittany.

"Deal," Brittany muttered laughing. "Soph, you're happy?"

"Yes!" She carefully put the puppy down and stormed crashing into her closest mom, hugging Santana's legs tight. "Thank you Mommies," she then crashed head first in Brittany's legs, "Thank you!"

Brittany stroked her head. "You're welcome but remember, you'll have to take care of it!"

"Yes, Mommy!" Sophia answered looking up, her eyes shining like two big sapphires.

"Do you want to go to the park to walk him a bit?" Santana offered.

"Yes, _please!"_

"Alright, I'm gonna grab his leash then, I'll be right back," Brittany said pulling away.

Sophia didn't know what to do with herself anymore. She was so happy, she wanted to twirl, roll on the ground with Mr. Mango, hug her moms over and over again. Santana caught sight of her lost emotion. She crouched back, tickled the puppy and made Sophia do the same.

Santana and Brittany had felt so guilty for the past few months. All this sadness, all these tears without explanation weren't fair at all, especially for all the times when Santana had been a little too aggressive for no reason, or when Brittany had lacked her natural patience. Sophia needed a reward for having put up with them so well.

Considering the fact that Sophia was still so small and Santana was pregnant, they had chosen an easy dog to train, that would remain pretty small as an adult so Sophia would be able to walk him sooner. This specific breed only needed 6 months to be trained and to reach their adult size, the perfect amount of times for them to deal with him before Santana would deliver, in 6 months on the dot. Santana would be busy with him during those months, giving her some entertaining company when her wife and kid would be at work or school. But most importantly, Sophia would have this puppy-mission. She'd have to learn how to be responsible for someone, to care about a little life.

This was the perfect opportunity to teach her that a puppy wasn't a toy, just like a baby wouldn't be a doll. Slowly, Santana and Brittany would get Sophia to understand what a little being under one's responsibility implied. Also, a puppy would provide cuddles and laughter, when Brittany and Santana would be too busy changing the diapers and feeding the newborns, drastically reducing the time they dedicated to their eldest. It would keep Sophia busy, it would provide a nice diversion. And anyway, this dog was friggin' cute and already made their daughter insanely happy. Mr. Mango, whether Santana liked his name or not, would definitely be a bonus point in their life.

The walk was a delight. Sophia was so happy to have a puppy that she worried about everything. Each time Mr. Mango squeaked too loudly or stopped walking, she looked up to her moms worried to the bone that something wrong might be happening. Since she was still too small to walk him on her own, Brittany held the leash, and Sophia proudly helped by holding the thread as if she was walking him by herself. They peacefully made their way, arm-in-arm, enjoying a nice family moment.

"Mommy," Sophia turned around, "What are the babies' called?"

Both mothers chuckled, looking at their daughter. "I don't know sweetheart, we don't know if they are boys or girls just yet," Brittany explained.

Sophia bit her lip, thoughtful. "When will you know?"

"In about two months. Why?"

"I want to know what names the baby factory gave them," Sophia explained, dead serious.

"Oh, but it's not the factory that will-" Santana squeezed hard Brittany's arm to stop her.

"Yeah, I can't wait to know either!" Santana faked excitement.

"What the..._huh_?" Brittany whispered, perplexed.

"No way am I letting her know that we'll have to choose ourselves," Santana muttered, taking advantage of the park's noises. "She'd want to call them Cheddar and Bacon or whatever and last time I checked my uterus wasn't a Domino's Pizza commercial...!"

Brittany giggled, staring at her wife. She stopped walking to kiss her with all her love, a long lasting kiss that reminded her that she had missed those lips all day.

Sophia pulled on the leash. "_Mommiiiiessss,_ don't stop walking! Mr. Mango wants to walk!"

Brittany pulled away smirking. "It's weird though, 'cause last time I checked, it tasted _awesom_e," she whispered in the crook of Santana's ear.

* * *

_Voilà!_ Tell me what you think about it! Any suggestion or comment? I haven't finished writing the next chapter yet, I sort of have a lack of inspiration these days... I'll try to finish it before next week, but it may take a little longer!

Have a great day everybody :) Lots of love!


	8. The Cravings

"_Mi amor._.. wake up..." Santana pushed against her sound-asleep wife's arm. Brittany didn't move an inch, way too lost in her dreams at such an early hour. Santana grabbed her arm with a bit more energy and shook her. "Wake up..."

Brittany started and opened half of an eye. She closed it again before even having a chance to speak.

"Britt, wake up!" Santana shook her again.

Brittany opened her eye again, a bit more convinced. "...What? Is something wrong?" she grumbled tiredly.

Santana snuggled closer and started to kiss her sleepy wife's neck with all her love. Not more than one minute later, Brittany started to softly snore. Santana poked her right in the ribs.

"_Uh!"_ Brittany opened her eyes again. "Whaaaaat... Lemme sleep..." She fought to keep her eyes open, looking blankly at her wife.

Santana pulled out her best loving eyes, lips quivering. She pleaded without words.

"What do you want?" Brittany was skeptical.

Santana bit her lip and, cheeks burning, she resumed kissing her neck. She kissed with energy, making sure Brittany would not fall asleep again.

"Hold on," Brittany pulled away. She yawned, trying to understand what was going on through her foggy mind.

Impatiently, Santana shook her wife once more. She gave her best greedy look, pursed her lips to make them look irresistible, malicious ideas written all over her face. Finally understanding what Santana wanted, Brittany rubbed the bridge of her nose tiredly. She peeked at the alarm clock by the bed, 5:14 AM flashing bright in red dots through the darkness.

"Santana, are you seriously waking me up at 5 in the morning to... get laid?"

"No..." Santana denied lamely. Brittany raised an exhausted eyebrow. "I don't want to get laid. I want to make love to my smoking hot wife. Can you blame me for that?" she admitted, trying fiercely to soften her horrendous need to appease her hormones.

"That's what I thought," Brittany pulled away from their usual embrace and leaned face down.

"Britt, please..." Santana tried to negotiate.

"The love machine is out of order," Brittany grumbled in the pillows.

"But I've been holding back all night! I can't wait any longer..." she pleaded. Brittany turned her head to peek at her, waiting for the next round of pleading. "I'm... _hungry_," Santana purred, her core worn with obvious warm desire. She had tried everything to find sleep, pushing her wild thoughts away but Santana had been a mess all night, her hormones way stronger than her reason. "It's like... burning, I can't help it!"

Brittany chuckled. "Babe, I get that it's not funny to you, but A) I'm not in the mood right now 'cause B) I'm supposed to get Soph' ready for school in one hour or so. You'll have to wait, sweetie," she said burying her head back in the pillows.

Santana pouted. She waited in the dark for the miracle solution to her issue. But no, nothing other than Brittany making love to her would relieve this insane desire shaping into some kind of pain. She peeked at her wife while biting her nails, on the verge of insisting. She hesitated.

"_Britt,_" she cried out, shaking her arm again. Her core was throbbing too hard.

"Santana..._ no_," Brittany stated firmly. She embraced her pillow tight, moved to the edge of the bed, well and truly stuck on her position to Santana's greatest despair.

When the alarm rang at 6:30 on the dot, Brittany turned around out of habit to get her ritual morning hug. Santana offered her a plain view of her back, angrily curling up under the covers. Brittany stroked her shoulder playfully. Santana curled up even more, pulling on the covers in a rough move. It was clear, Brittany would have to do without her hug today.

Brittany took her shower and got everything ready before Sophia woke up. Santana only surfaced once Sophia was eating her breakfast. That way, the little girl would appease her mind and she'd be free to ignore Brittany as much as she wanted. She headed through the kitchen in her bathrobe, head high and arms crossed, well decided to make Brittany enjoy a few rough minutes of coldness. She kissed her daughter good morning without a word or look for Brittany. The blonde shook her head, trying to keep her giggles quiet over her wife's hormonal breakdown.

"You're gonna ignore me all day?" Brittany asked softly with a tender smile.

On her way to the fridge, Santana turned around, flushed with anger. She parted her bathrobe slightly to show a leg. "You see that? You can kiss it goodbye 'cause the next time you get to touch it is when I go botox my 40's wrinkles."

She sniffled down and looked head first in the fridge for her morning feast. Brittany couldn't contain her laughs.

"Mommy, are you grounded?" Sophia asked innocently, pointing out that Santana was using the same cold tone she used to when she was scolding.

Brittany laughed even more. "Seems so..."

"Because my needs make you laugh? That's what they are to you, a joke?" Santana started coldly.

"Of course not!" Brittany stood up from her seat at the table to kiss her wife on the cheek.

"Nuh-uh," Santana closed the fridge hurriedly and pointed threateningly at Brittany before the blonde could have a chance to actually do anything. "Out of my safety zone," she spat.

"My love..." Brittany tried, hands raised in a gesture of peace.

"_Out_," Santana threatened.

Brittany tried to come closer to hug her and attempt at easing her with a kiss.

"Get off of me!" Santana almost yelled. Brittany stepped back slowly not to harm her super-tense wife. Santana angrily grabbed an ice cream tub in the freezer, the only thing her stomach was craving for. She slammed the door shut.

"You're really gonna eat ice cream at 7 in the morning?" Brittany tried to determine if it was another craving or just Santana eating her anger away with sweet food.

Santana froze. She turned her head in a gesture that felt like a slow motion scene out of a horror movie. Throwing a death glare at Brittany, she took the challenge. She very slowly re-opened the freezer door, grabbed a second ice cream tub and slammed the door like a gunshot. She headed out of the kitchen never breaking her mad stare.

"Babe, c'mon," Brittany negotiated, a peace treaty of sorts, with her most loving look. "Let me give you a kiss at least!"

"This is not a marriage. It's a damn dictatorship!" Santana spat leaving.

"I love you!" Brittany shouted through the open door.

"_Not giving a fuck!"_ Santana yelled back from the hallway.

Sophia giggled, "Mama said a curse word! You have to tell her it's wrong because Santa Claus won't give her presents if she doesn't apologize!"

"I will baby, but later... If I tell her now, she's gonna ask for a divorce," Brittany grumbled for herself.

"Mommy, what's "divorce"?" Sophia asked innocently before biting into a waffle.

Brittany shrugged amused. "Later, I'll explain it to you later... We're gonna be late for school. Hurry up with your waffle, sweetheart."

After she had dropped Sophia to school, Brittany came back home with a bouquet of red roses. The day's mission was to win Santana's love back at all costs. Brittany was willing to face down any cold glare or iced word. She entered the apartment with the bravery of a courageous knight, determined to fight her way back to Santana's heart through this hormonal storm.

"Santana?" she called and met the silence.

Mr Mango was the only one to show up, running from their bedroom where Santana was probably stroking him. He jumped on her feet gleefully. She peeked around, catching sight of one of his squeaky toys on the ground. She went to grab it and threw it in the opposite direction of the bedroom. That would keep him busy while she'd be braving the adversity of Santana's bad mood. She headed to the bedroom and soon saw the door was slightly ajar.

"San, I have something for you..." she cooed.

Before she could reach the room, the door slammed shut and she heard locking sounds. Brittany would have chuckled if it didn't seem like a horrible battle ahead. She scratched the door softly.

"Santana sweetie, open the door." Nothing happened. "I have something to give you, please..." Nothing again.

She scratched the door a bit more intensely. Ear pressed to the door, she listened for Santana, but got only silence. Not a single sound of something happening in their bedroom. Sighing, Brittany cut one of the perfect roses' buds.

"Open the door just a little so I can show you what it is then..." she tried. "I'm not entering, just showing it to you."

Brittany heard steps coming closer to the door. Seconds went by as she waited.

"_Is it edible?" _Santana asked coldly.

"I'm not quite sure..." Brittany answered with her best voice.

"_Then I don't care about it," _Santana spat.

Steps walked away from the door. Brittany didn't lose focus. She stared at her bouquet, trying to find what could possibly make Santana open this damn door. "But you can smell it! It smells really good..."

"_If you cared about my needs even just a little, you'd know I can't stand perfume anymore."_

"It's not perfume, my love... Come on, just open the door a couple of inches so I can slide some of it in between," Brittany kept insisting.

"_And then you'll leave?"_

"If you want me to, I will."

Santana didn't answer. Brittany gritted her teeth. Maybe she was hesitating and on the verge of opening it. She heard steps. She waited, thrilled. The handle moved a bit and then nothing. She stared at the handle as if her life depended on it. The key unlocked and Santana opened the door not more than two inches. Brittany saw Santana's foot blocking the door that was now slightly ajar, playing safe in case it was a trick.

Grinning at her victory, Brittany slid the red bud through and held it out at the edge of her fingers. "For you, my love..."

Santana did nothing, said nothing.

"You don't like it? Hold on, I have another one," Brittany pulled a rose out of the bouquet, a very bright one with fresh leaves all around. She completely slid it in between the door so Santana would see the whole rose. "Do you prefer with the stem?" she cooed.

Santana grabbed it quickly and immediately disappeared. Brittany closed her fist quietly, celebrating her victory.

"You wouldn't leave it alone, would you... I have a whole bouquet to go with..."

Santana's foot disappeared as well. Brittany tried to push the door open beaming. Surprisingly, nothing came in the way. She stepped in holding the bouquet in front as a white flag.

"Santana, love of my life?" she called tenderly pushing the door very slowly.

She had time to let her eyes look for her in the entire room before seeing Santana standing right behind the door. She was still pouting, lips angrily pursed, the rose stuck in between her crossed arms. Brittany came closer with her best smile.

"Ta-dah..." she whispered as she handed her the flowers.

Santana remained stuck. However she seemed to fight hard a smile, her lips trembling awkwardly through her pout. Brittany took the bud back and attempted to slide it into Santana's hair. Surprisingly, Santana let her do so.

"I thought this rose was gorgeous but when it stands next to you, it's pretty common actually," Brittany flirted shamelessly.

"My favorites are white," Santana tried to fight back, betrayed by a smile held strongly back.

"But red is for mad passion, like the one setting my heart on fire..."

Santana let out a shy chuckle. She immediately corrected herself, sniffling proudly and frowning very seriously. Now she had a foothold into Santana's heart, Brittany smiled wide and came closer again. She put a light kiss on Santana's lips, which didn't move at all.

"I'm sorry," Brittany said lovingly bumping her nose on Santana's. She embraced her, the flowers all torn at Santana's back. She put light kisses everywhere; on her cheek, her nose, the corner of her lips, without getting the brunette to comply. "I love you..." she kissed her again on the lips. Santana's eyes hesitated between Brittany's pupils and her lips, a sign she was on the verge of giving up. Brittany stroked Santana's lips with her tongue. "Open your mouth," she whispered.

Santana hesitated. Her growing breathing betrayed the fact her core was probably burning just the way it had done hours before. She bit her lip over and over again. Long seconds went by before Santana eventually complied and slightly parted her lips.

Brittany let the flowers fall to the ground carelessly. She embraced Santana so tightly, even if the brunette remained arms crossed all along. She pulled her into a long, slow, and deep kiss - the kind Santana loved the most because it showed how much Brittany loved her. Little by little, she uncrossed her arms and let herself give in. Brittany played pitilessly; she licked her way up to her earlobe and then sucked on it. Santana trembled in response. It was not fair of Brittany to use this magic turn-on after a fight. Brittany pulled away, playfully winked. She wouldn't stand against some playtime.

Santana chuckled and threw her arms around her wife's neck. She crashed their lips together, giving up the love strike.

"Make love to me already," Santana cried out through the kiss.

Smirking, Brittany led her to the bed.

- o -

Brittany had frowned when Santana had announced that the office in her studio was completely packed. Knowing she had heaved boxes was no good news at all. Santana had assured her she hadn't lifted any, all the boxes were on the ground. She had just filled them, and that was exactly why they were now covering the carpet of her office. A white lie wouldn't hurt. Once reassured, the weight on her shoulders had disappeared, knowing that Santana had planned to work from home. Moving the office had become the next big event in the family.

Santana hadn't managed to contain Brittany's frenzy. For her wife's comfort, Brittany decided - on her own - that designing a brand new office at home, with new furniture, walls painted in new colours, would provide a much better place for Santana to work. Everyone had helped, their fathers assembling the furniture and their mothers and sister painting the walls under Santana's almost exasperated stare, grumbling all along "you guys didn't have to, we could have hired someone to do that." But no, Brittany was pretty much stuck on her idea that doing it together as a family was way better.

That sunday afternoon, the whole household was on fire. Alma was cooking in their kitchen and keeping Sophia busy while everyone else were busy bees around the brand new office. They all had a mission. Andrew was the one putting the box in the elevator; Jorge was the one bringing them into the apartment; they were then fetched by Gloria and Chloe who brought them to Brittany and Julie in the office. A well-organized chain that worked really well. After hours spent ignoring all of Santana's complaints and comments about the fact that she could help at, at least unpacking, Brittany won the battle, firmly stuck on her position. If Santana dared to even put a finger on a box, Brittany would no longer help relieve her hormones anymore, not a single well placed stroke, not even a kiss. Santana could change everything she wanted once the office was set, but before that, it was a no-Santana zone. The argument was striking enough to convince the grumbling brunette to go take a nap in the living-room, since she had nothing else to do.

Santana surfaced one hour later, woken up by her craving stomach in sheer response to the marvelous smell escaping from the kitchen. She pushed the blanket away to the other side of the couch and Mr. Mango - who had been sleeping at her feet - squeaked.

"Oops! Sorry buddy, I didn't see you."

The puppy extracted himself from the covers and dragged himself to Santana, stumbling and demanding cuddles. Giggling at the cuteness, she started to scratch his head playfully. Mr. Mango rolled, his tail shaking fast. She gazed at him once she had enough of cuddling him. He sat on the covers, waiting.

"Mr Mango, you're one hell of a cutie," she chuckled.

He made a turn on himself, sat again and squeaked.

"I know, I know... I don't like your name either..."

He sighed.

"I never told you but I'm really sorry, like, really, really sorry about my daughter and my wife. I promise to find you a nickname, something better than Mr Mango. That'd be our little secret."

The puppy scratched her lap playfully.

"What about... Mang? Mangers?"

The puppy squeaked again. Santana sighed. She had no inspiration today. She scratched his head again, his stomach, his legs, everything to make him happy. Her own growling stomach soon ended the brainstorming. She headed to the kitchen, her steps only guided by her insane hunger.

"Abuelita, it smells so good! What did you cook?" she said entering all smiles.

"Go back to the couch, _Nena_. I'll bring a plate for you," Alma instructed with her natural cold and sharp tone.

"Nah, it's fine," Santana went to take a seat around the kitchen table where Sophia was drawing.

Alma turned around, threw Santana a mad stare, "You do what I say, Santana."

Santana put the chair back slowly. Nope, you could be in your thirties but still be considered like a child. "Okay..."

She walked back to the living room and its couch, looking over her shoulder once in a while to her bitter grandmother. She waited on the couch like a child being scolded. Nobody wanted her. Her family, her wife, they had all made it very clear that she had no right to be anywhere other than near a couch or a bed. Her grandmother just threw her out of the kitchen. She looked around for something to do, bored and annoyed, but ended up empty-handed. Suddenly, her nails became surprisingly interesting, just like the fly that couldn't stop buzzing over a bunch of flowers near the TV set.

Alma put an end to the excruciating boredom by coming, alone, carrying a plate that filled the air with a nice smell. Santana immediately sat deeper in the couch, preparing herself to make her stomach insanely happy. Alma passed the plate and a fork, her old hands shaking. The old lady took a seat right next to Santana and watched her devour the delicious food.

"_Uh_, Abuelita, only you can cook this good..." Santana cooed, her mouth full.

"You loved that when you were little," Alma smiled.

"Believe me, I still do! Hell yeah I do..." she laughed, swallowing her last mouthful. "Oh my god, I'm so full..."

She put the plate on the coffee table and leaned back, her now sated stomach now in for contended digesting. She rubbed her back, stretched, taking the perfect position to relax - not that she really needed it but she had nothing to do, so... As she did, her bump pointed high.

Alma playfully tapped on it. "Very full."

Santana chuckled, "I guess so..." They shared a look, a happy yet weird look. Very intense, unusual from Alma. "Is there... anything you'd like to talk about or...?"

Alma grumbled incomprehensible words in Spanish. "Wait here for a second," she instructed, leaning on the couch's arm rests to get to stand up.

She walked past the kitchen, checking on Sophia peacefully drawing with her now sleepy dog at her feet. She then left for the entrance, where she had left her bag just like everyone else had. She came back, under Santana's perplexed gaze. The old woman again took her seat next to Santana, holding out with both hands a small black box.

"Santana, hm, there's something I'd like to give you," she explained staring at the box. "But it's not just for you, it's for... Brittany and you."

"Oh..." Alma tried to open the box, forcing because of the arthrosis made her fingers weak. "Hold on, let me do it," Santana grabbed the box and in a strong and sharp hit, forced it opened.

A very old necklace shone. Quite a big silver ball with patterns engraved on it rolled again the black velvet. Santana softly made it turn to see the whole patterns.

"This is so pretty, thank you..."

"Do you like it?"

"Of course I do! It looks... ancient," Santana said around a fond smile.

Alma let out a small chuckle. "Not that ancient, it was mine. I'm not ancient yet, I hope so," she joked. Santana was almost frightened, Alma wasn't a joking woman. It must be really important. "It's a..." she hesitantly started, going to take the necklace out of the box, grabbing the little ball and pulling the insanely long chain. "It's a bola, it's a tradition for pregnant women. I used it when I was expecting." She held the little ball with her weak fingers and shook it close to Santana's ears. "There are other balls in it, it makes clinking sounds and your baby... _babies,_ hear it and it reassures them."

Santana's heart exploded in millions of butterflies. She listened acutely as Alma kept shaking the ball. If she focused very well, she could hear high pitched sounds that seemed to be coming from the angels themselves. It was so sweet it made her chuckle.

"So when you worry, you just..." Alma made the ball roll on Santana's stomach, "you stroke like that, and it makes them move. And when they're born, they recognize the sound and it calms the babies down and it makes them stop crying."

Santana beamed.

"You can sew it on a cuddly blanket so they don't swallow it, that's what I did. It worked really well! But if you want it to work, you'll have to wear it everyday!"

"Oh I will Abuelita, I will..."

"There are different positions on it so you can choose how long you want it, but it always has to rest against them," she explained tenderly as she showed couples of bigger links on the chain. Alma closed the chain on the shorter position and passed it around her granddaughter's neck. The ball almost rested on her lap considering how long it was.

Santana chuckled, a fond smile stuck on her lips. "Thank you..."

"I figured that... hm..." Alma fidgeted uneasy, "I figured that if Brittany takes care of them using it, they'll recognize her more easily..." she tentatively said.

Alma had tried, for years, to understand. The road ahead was still very long, yet the old woman started to picture an end. Over the years, she had witnessed how Sophia couldn't manage without one of her moms, Brittany and Santana equalling each other more than Alma could have guessed. It was them together for their daughter, nothing else. She still had a hard time understanding. Yet, she couldn't lie about what she was seeing everyday. How happy they were, how beautiful and educated Sophia was. Sophia was just like any other girls, gay parents or not.

Little by little, Alma was on her way to Brittany. But still, she had thought about giving the bola to both of them, but still, it was too difficult to talk to Brittany about other things than the weather and details about everyday life. Old habits die hard. Alma was taking it slow, however it didn't keep her from actually showing that she was getting used to the situation. Santana could guess that from the shy and slightly embarrassed smile coloring her grandmother's face. It was her own way to get closer to Brittany, her clumsy and embarrassed way to come to terms with her granddaughter's sexuality.

Laughs brought Santana back from her blessed reverie. Both women peeked at the hallway, from where all the family was approaching.

"I think I've had my workout for the next 10 years now!" Chloe laughed, obviously having hard time walking thanks to aching muscles.

"The young aren't as strong as we used to be," Andrew joked, poking his youngest daughter and almost making her fall.

"Hey!" Chloe defended herself, poking him back.

They all came fooling around and they took seats around the coffee table. Santana made room on the couch, sitting closer to Alma to leave a seat to Brittany.

"Nice necklace," Brittany pointed out while making it slide in her hand to see better.

"It's a gift from Abuelita," she whispered beaming.

Now that her family was all around, she didn't know how to discreetly explain the whole concept of Alma's gift and how important it would be to her, to them. Santana wanted to talk, but no words escaped her mouth. She kept staring at Brittany with a mixed expression, her eyes like two glowing suns telling a story.

"Well, thank you Alma. This is very pretty on Santana," she smiled to the old woman as she sat.

Later that night, Santana had her voice a bit torn by emotion when she explained the bola thing to her wife. Brittany was somehow surprised by Alma's intentions. She was proud and happy obviously, yet very surprised. They wondered if Brittany should have a word with Alma, to thank her by herself. Brittany called Alma for the first time in her entire life, in the weirdest and most embarrassed call ever, and Alma ended it not longer than a minute after, pretending some food was burning in the oven. They went to bed the hearts light, enjoying a restful evening after a long and tired day, emotionally and physically.

They took some time to read and enjoy the silence all around, together. Brittany rested her eyes for a minute, after having read a script for the past hour. She peeked at Santana, peacefully reading a book while tickling her well rounded bump.

Brittany rested her head on the pillows, gazing at her wife. How could she ever be tired of her, she thought. Of them and life they were making, simply, peacefully. It was a beautiful feeling to be consciously enjoying the moment, as simple as it was. She put her script back on the nightstand, folded her hands on her stomach and gazed again.

Out of habit, Santana had lifted her shirt so she could stroke right against her skin, and she had started to caress, tickle, softly scratch her own skin as if she was playing with the babies. She made the bola roll just the way Alma had showed her hours ago. She was now unconsciously drawing circles around her belly button with it, trying to hypnotize the twins just like she was hypnotized by her book. She put the book back a second to turn a page, and then she was away again, lost in literature.

She felt something bugging her, a weird presence. Probably the book, its suspense was indeed nagging. As she was reading pages and pages, the presence grew larger and larger again. She felt uncomfortable. At a particularly intense action scene in the book, she started, holding on her stomach as if the suspense was about to make her pop.

Brittany laughed at her wife's cute behavior. Santana met her gaze immediately and figured she had probably been looking at her for awhile now. This was the reason of the rather annoying presence she was feeling: eyes obviously locked on her.

"What is it?" She asked tenderly.

"Nothing..." Brittany shrugged with a wide smile.

"You're staring."

"Can't I just look at my gorgeous wife being scared by an intense, oh-so-scary book?" She mocked playfully.

Santana folded her book and poked Brittany with it, "Stop it!"

With a chuckle, she reopened her book, put her hand back on her stomach and went back to her reading. She started to stroke again as minutes went by. She applied pressure here and there, as if she wanted to feel the babies even more.

"Seriously, I can feel your eyes linger on me, it's irritating!" She threw, giggling out of sweet stress. "Look away and let me finish this chapter, would you?"

"You don't even realize how cute you are sometimes..." Santana puffed. "Like right now, you were just stroking the babies, playing with them and you didn't even realize you were." Brittany explained, her love apparent through her eyes.

"Was I?" Santana peeked at her stomach, a flat hand resting on it and clenching on the bola confirming it all. She chuckled, "But that's because I feel flutters, I'll feel them soon..." she rambled, feeling silly. "I can't wait to feel them, I gotta encourage them to move so I know they're okay..."

"Hey, I don't judge! It's the cutest thing. I've missed it." Brittany kissed her and whispered towards her belly, "Come on my little angels, move so Mama stops worrying! Just a little kick and then you can go back to sleep."

Santana laughed, Brittany lay better by her wife, taking a comfortable position on her side to talk to the babies.

"You'd make me _really _happy if you kick, sweethearts. Give your Mommy your best shot!" she kept asking playfully, winking at her wife.

"If they kick as hard as Sophia used to, I'll blame _you_. I'll blame you all the way!" Santana teased. She stroked harder her stomach as flutters intensified.

"Flutters again?"

Santana nodded, blessed. "It's like butterflies, it's so sweet... I wish you could feel it..."

"Don't worry about me Santana, really. Seeing them growing everyday is more than enough for me."

"So if they kick in the middle of the night, I shouldn't bother waking you up for their first moves?" She joked faking a distant tone.

"I didn't say that!" Brittany laughed. She started to stroke her wife's bump, Santana putting her hand right on hers. "I wish I could too but I'll be able to feel them at some point when they're ready and it's more than fine like that."

"I love you," Santana naturally let out. She just felt so happy. "Do you know that, how much I love you?"

Brittany lifted herself up in the bed to come closer to her. "Ergh... I have assumptions..."

She grabbed the book in Santana's hand and put it away. She needed her full attention to kiss. She softly took the bola from her hands, and quietly asked for Santana to take it off. The brunette let herself do, aroused with curiosity. Peacefully, she waited for Brittany's point to show. Brittany pulled her night clothes back on Santana's stomach, hiding everything.

"What are you doing?" she inquired softly.

Brittany came closer, grabbed her hand and started kissing a path along her arm. Sweet kiss after sweet kiss. She took her time to reach the neck. She felt under her lips the muscles. Santana was smiling wide.

"I think it's time for your cure..."

"What cure?" Santana cooed at her wife's tenderness.

"Your cuddle cure. Before any crisis strikes again," she smirked. She pulled Santana a bit down on the pillows.

"I'm not really in the mood for x-rated cuddles right now, not with the ultrasound tomorrow," Santana admitted.

"What ultrasound?" Brittany said all innocent.

"You know, the babies' check up..." Santana half-joked, a bit lost by her favorite blonde's behavior.

"What babies?" Brittany winked. She pulled the covers on Santana's stomach, hiding everything.

Santana chuckled and pushed the covers away without any care. "Those babies," she insisted. She was feeling way too fat already to pretend she wasn't like a huge vessel only dedicated to their kids.

Brittany made a face, faking misunderstanding. "I really don't know what you're talking about. All I see is you," she sang in her neck, resuming kissing. "You and your delicious skin."

Santana let herself go, little by little. She felt the heat grow._ "Those hormones"_, she thought. She just couldn't fight them. She had no defense against them, they were way too strong even if her mind was elsewhere.

Brittany slid a hand by her shirt neckline and started to stroke her breast.

"Hm..." Santana let out, even before realizing it. Brittany smirked. It was just too easy.

"What about..." Brittany took her hand off and slid in between of Santana's shorts, very careful not to touch her stomach. "What about that," she sang while stroking her inner thigh.

"Hm..." Santana whimpered a little louder.

Brittany was beyond happy. For a moment that night, she wanted Santana to feel like a woman. Like the woman she was before being a mom. Santana was always putting her mother duties and principles before her own pleasure. And this was what lead to insane hormonal crises as they both very well knew. Brittany wouldn't let this happen twice. She was willing to work hard on that issue, _really_ hard.

Santana felt so cheesy. As her wife expert fingers were slowly taking a path she knew well, she let herself go. She was supposed to feel excited about the next day's ultrasound. She was supposed to be preparing herself as this particular ultrasound would probably reveal the babies' gender. It was a sweet lady kisses-free moment. Well, it was supposed to be anyway. But with Brittany keeping her busy like that, it was getting hard to remain as pure as Virgin Mary for their babies. Her heart and her reason were fighting in her mind.

Soon, her heart was beating too loudly. Any other thoughtful idea was forced to silence. Brittany made her clothes slide along her legs, embraced her tight. She just provided the perfect bubble to release a storm of love. Santana stayed on her side, a poor little thing at her wife's mercy. Brittany made her put her thigh on her own hip, and it was all Santana needed to drift away in some wonderlands.

Craving, that was the right description for her feelings, all the time. She just couldn't desire something, she needed it. Her whole self needed it, body and soul. Everything was becoming an obsession. The food, sleeping... Brittany. Like a shot of her sweetest drug, pregnancy was revamping her love for her wife. She felt the same rush of adrenaline when she was seeing her, and when she was away, she was craving for her. Her teenage self was still very much alive after long years of marriage where you were supposed to get used to each other. Those hormonal rushes made her discover Brittany again, her every stroke suddenly as fascinating as they had been back in the day when shy high school girls had attempted their first sapphic love.

In the meantime, this was insanely reassuring. Those hormones made everything black or white. There was no compromise, no average accepted. Either Santana craved for things, or she she despised them. Feeling this craving for Brittany to her bone, it somehow reassured her to know that her deepest self, the one she had no control over and never would, was still so in love with Brittany.

All those ideas drowned Santana's mind as Brittany's ministrations were intensifying. It all her sensations increase tenfold.

"Kiss me, just kiss me," Santana cried out when she felt her body on the edge of exploding.

Brittany obeyed to the orders within the second. Rule #1 of the supporting mother's guide, you don't negotiate with a very hormonal pregnant woman. Santana gave up everything, drinking of her wife's lips for relief. She fell limp against her, grazing Brittany's skin with her nose.

"Satisfied women make happy moms," Santana joked in the crook of her neck.

"Oh yeah," Brittany giggled, embracing her.

"I'm glad I married you," she said fighting a yawn.

"What do you mean?" Brittany lazily caressed her mouth, those reddish lips she loved more than anything.

Santana snuggled closer. "I'm just happy I found the right fit. I wouldn't have done it with anybody else."

"Your lover won't be happy to know that..." Brittany joked.

Santana poked her, yet too tired by the pleasure to poke hard. Brittany softly giggled and kissed her hair. Santana nodded off with a cheesy smile on her face. It would be a very well-prepared Santana that would go to the ultrasound the next day. Not that she was having doubts. How could she? But Santana would be so very sure that those babies would come into a stable, solid, unbreakable and caring family.

"I love you Santana," Brittany cooed against her ear.

Santana smirked despite her sleepiness. She knew Brittany shared every single of her thoughts. She opened her eyes for a second. It was hard not to see the glowing love perspire from everything Brittany. She was very sure. They were in the same boat. A pretty boat sailing on a lake, or one of those gondolas navigating in Venice. Oh yes, their boat was still very romantic, even after almost fifteen years together.

- o -

Brittany and Santana were ecstatic. Brittany was holding Sophia in her arms, so she could see what was happening on the screen of the ultrasound. Ferguson, who had realized in the last minute check she had forgotten a CD to record the whole thing, had left them for a minute. Santana sweated it out, relaxing by making her bola roll in her palm since her wife's hands were already occupied, holding their heavy baby.

"I got it!" Ferguson finally came back, putting an end to the excruciating wait.

She hurriedly set the CD in the device and winked at Santana while grabbing the bottle of gel. Santana was already more than ready, her shirt lifted and her trousers slightly open to uncover her whole bump.

"Mama, why the doctor puts water on your tummy?" Sophia inquired, almost sucking on her thumb, being all shy against Brittany's shoulder.

"To see what's inside better, babydoll," Santana cooed.

"What's inside?" The little girl played curious.

"Oh, come on Soph', you know what's inside. The babies are inside!" Brittany chuckled.

"How can we see what's inside?" Sophia asked with puppy eyes, from the one who didn't get a thing of what was happening.

The three adults laughed. Ferguson shrugged happily. "The happiness of the curious age..." she kidded.

"Mommy, how can we see what's inside?!" She insisted, grabbing Brittany's shirt.

Brittany giggled, "you see that?" she pointed at the probe, "it sees through skin. So when Madeleine will put it on Mama's stomach, we'll see what's under."

Sophia stared. Abstract notions were still very abstract to her. "I don't understand."

"Don't worry, it's starting, look!" Brittany reassured her, as Ferguson started the ultrasound and blurry images came on screen. "Look!" she started, more for her own excitement than her daughter's.

Even the quite heavy weight of Sophia disappeared from her arms for a second. There was only left the insane happiness of seeing those grey shapes. Her feet were leaving the ground like butterflies. Brittany poked Santana's arm with her hip, somehow falling from the chair. Santana looked up for half of a second, grinning wide, and locked eyes with the screen again.

"We have one in sight," Ferguson kidded.

"Look Soph'! Look at the screen! This is the first baby!" Brittany sang, trying to get Sophia just as excited as they were.

Sophia peeked indeed, but she had hard time understanding how these blurry grey forms could be babies. For her, babies wore clothes, they had pink skin and they said "Mommy" when you rubbed their back, just like her dolls did. Even if she had understood that something was growing inside her Mama, she just didn't get what real babies could be before they looked like dolls.

"Look Sophia, see, this is his or her profile," Ferguson kindly explained, saving the moms from an insanely complicated explanation. "Do you see? It's just like you, a forehead, a nose and a mouth," she said as she traced on the screen the full profile of one of the babies.

Mechanically, Sophia touched her own forehead, nose and mouth to understand. Eventually, she smiled and looked back at her Mommy. Sophia was officially on board.

"And then, one... and two hands, and a tummy," the doctor kept going.

"The baby has a big head," Sophia commented, now curious out of amazement. Santana laughed, making the image blurry. "Mama! Don't move!"

"Sorry!" Santana tried to quieten her chuckles.

Ferguson caught the baby on screen again. "Okay, so we're clear with this one! Let's see the other now..."

Again, same dance of grey moves on screen, same profile of a big head and a tiny body.

"Mommy! Mommy! Look, it's the other baby!" Sophia shook Brittany's shirt all smiles.

If Brittany wasn't in Heaven, she just didn't know where she was. Her daughter was just as excited as herself, her wife was glowing eyes riveted on the screen. She felt her feet leaving the ground, feeling as light as a feather. Ferguson kept checking everything and let out a happy sigh when she was done.

"So Sophia, what do you want? Brothers or sisters?" Ferguson asked with a joyful face.

The moms locked eyes with the little girl. Shy, Sophia started to suck on her thumb, dead silent. Brittany laughed and shook her through their hold to motivate her.

"Don't be shy Sweetie, tell Madeleine what you wish." Sophia stared, trying to find an answer.

"Boys or girls, babydoll?" Santana inquired with a gleeful tone.

"Boys," she admitted in a whisper.

"Why is that?" Brittany encouraged.

Sophia shrugged and buried her head in her Mommy's shoulder out of shyness. The moms giggled, their daughter's reactions were just priceless.

"Her best friend is a little boy, I bet that's why. She digs boys, much more than girls," Santana explained around a chuckle. "You want boys like Barry at home, don't you?" she said tickling her daughter's leg, the closest thing she could reach.

"Boys don't steal my Barbies!" Sophia defended herself.

"Well my dear, that's a very good reason to love boys," Ferguson kidded with a playful wink, making Sophia blush and hid again against Brittany.

"Sophia, do you want to know what the babies are?"

"You can tell?" Sophia asked, her shyness suddenly blown away by her curiosity. Ferguson friendly nodded. "Does she work at the Baby Factory?" she asked Brittany.

The blonde laughed loudly. "She's the Factory director..." she whispered in her ear. Sophia gasped.

"Tell me! Tell me!" Sophia hurried the doctor.

"Alright! You're ready?" she asked the moms, looking back and forth between them. The blessed couple shared a loving look, shrugged exactly in the same happy way. They nodded at the same time. "Let the show begin..."

* * *

I'm so sorry, it took me so long to write it! But finally, I had some inspiration back... I hope you'd still like it. Tell me what you think :)  
And thanks to the anon who came on Tumblr to ask a bunch of questions, you totally made my day :D


	9. The Consequences

After the usual up's and down's of a major production, Brittany's movie finally released. Years, four if you wanted to be exact, had been necessary to create every specific detail of her beloved project. The perfectionism spider had bitten her moments after they'd finished shooting the first scene of the movie; along with the realization that this could be the movie of her career. As the shooting had continued, Brittany had been paying more and more attention to the construction and background work than she had in any other production. She had felt so unsure about her work, doubting each line that had been spoken and each glance she had filmed. Her craziness had reached such a level than even when the whole team had declared the film finished, Brittany was still far from satisfied. But after mounting pressure from the producers, she had been forced to release it. She hadn't been alone while working on this, there had been Annette, the team, the studio, the actors and the producers... they had all wanted to finally see this supposed masterpiece.

The first screening had cost Brittany her nails, quite literally. She'd bitten them furiously until it had started to actually hurt. Santana's hold on her hand hadn't even managed to calm her down, nor any soothing words whispered at the shell of ear. Nothing had worked. Brittany just couldn't relax until the movie released, and then... perhaps, her movie wouldn't be a taboo topic of conversation.

Brittany stared at the laptop in front of her. The closed device seemed almost threatening now.

"Come on, Brittany! I want to know!" Annette groused out impatiently.

While Brittany had been locked at home with her wife and kids the night before, Annette had felt her will crumbling. She had driven in front of the theaters and watched the long lines of people waiting to see the movie. It had been obvious, the movie would be a success. She just wasn't sure of how successful.

Brittany braced herself. She made her wedding ring roll around her finger anxiously, a habit she'd picked up ever since Santana had slid that ring home what seemed like centuries ago.

"_Brittany!"_ Annette insisted, her voice suddenly filled with hard German tones Brittany had never heard from her before.

"Alright, alright..."

Brittany opened the laptop and the whole team bundled close behind her. She opened a window, clicked on her inbox and waited for the sent mail to load. When it popped, Brittany wanted to die. She clicked, as slowly as she could, and the numbers finally blinked up at them unapologetically. The whole team gasped. They remained silent for a moment and then reactions finally exploded.

"We did it!" Annette shook at Brittany's shoulders vigorously. "We dit it!"

The movie was a frank success. The tickets selling first estimations were higher than everything the director could have ever expected. Brittany gazed at the numbers, waiting for the moment when her brain would start to comprehend what this number represented. When the news reached the deepest recess of her brain, she sighed happily.

Behind her, people began to chat. They all knew what was about to come. Promo tours, a lot of marketing, press conferences... Annette herself could feel long interviews looming on the horizon. She couldn't be prouder of what they had accomplished. The movie hadn't set out to be this successful. They hadn't done any promo. It was just a small movie, but a small movie that they'd all put their hearts and souls into. The audience obviously weren't fools. They'd embraced the subject matter; felt touched by the striking reality of Annette's story, enlightened by Brittany's genius.

Brittany kept blinking at the screen. She had never got this kind of results for any of her past movies. Never would she have hoped reach this. When Santana had filled those huge arenas with thousands of tickets sold, the numbers had made her head dizzy. Now, she was witnessing the same type of success... the success of the entertaining industry's elite, those who won awards.

"Jesus Brittany, this is going to be amazing! What a year in front of us!" Annette cheered.

The blonde actress took the chair close to Brittany, the two of them sitting while the rest of the team was busy debating about what came next. Annette was waiting for the director's reactions, but all she could see was Brittany gazing at the screen.

"Brittany, are you alright?"

"But, I can't do it..." Brittany muttered, somehow shocked.

"Why?"

Brittany's upcoming schedule was slowly shaping in her mind. But it didn't eclipse the images of her pregnant wife waiting at home for her.

"I'll be... busy," she managed to answer.

"Oh, you sure will be," Annette giggled, eyes shining in pure glee.

Brittany finally broke her staring contest with the laptop to peek at Annette with a proud smile cutting her face in two. "You'll have to do the promo for me. Santana and I have twins on the way. I can't leave her alone now..."

"You what?! Oh my god, congratulations!"

"Thanks but... can you do it for me? Plus, I hate being seen on cameras, please do the promo for me..." Brittany pleaded, grabbing her arm. "I can't do it now, not with Santana pregnant!"

Annette playfully tapped on the pleading hand holding onto her, "Don't worry, I got your back," Annette winked. Brittany was too shocked. They would talk about the other news of the day some other time.

"I need to... I need to go back home to tell her," Brittany said quite lost, already standing on her feet.

"Now?! You're leaving like that?"

Brittany stared at the actress she had directed for months. She was supposed to stay, they were all supposed to stay to organize the upcoming frenzy. Brittany couldn't just leave them all to their own devices. She was one of the two keynote personalities of the project; one of the two able to decide which direction they wanted the promo to take. But all she wanted was to take her bag and just leave to go home to empty her heart to Santana.

"I... I really need to go..." Brittany breathed out, already catching her purse and shouldering her coat once more.

"You're serious?!" Annette sputtered, utterly lost.

"I'll call you later, bye!" Brittany darted past the crew and Anette watched her retreating figure, completely at a loss.

The hallways had never seemed so long before. She ran until she reached the entrance door, and basically threw herself out. Her hands shaking, she got into her car and sped home, cursing angrily whenever she hit a red light or traffic. On the way, she caught sight of some theaters putting posters of her movie right in the middle of their signs, pushing some blockbusters posters away to make room for the surprise success of the year. She stopped at a crossroad. She was forced to see a man on a ladder tearing down the last Nolan production to put hers up in its place. It was the biggest poster one of her movies ever got. Usually, her movie was that little poster, the last of all the line. Now, it was impossible to miss.

Her heartbeat quickened. The traffic light seemed to never change. The man kept at his work and put up more and more posters as Brittany watched him. That night, the theater would use two rooms to display her movie. There would be too many people and the theater had no choice. Brittany felt the world fall apart under her feet. The light finally turned green, she crashed the pedals making the motor howl.

In the elevator leading home, Brittany just didn't know what to do with herself. She already had her key in her hand, ready to slam the door open as soon as the elevator doors groaned open. She would have destroyed the door to enter faster.

"Santana? Santana, where are you?!" she called out anxiously.

Hearing nothing, she rushed through the kitchen and the living-room but there was no sign of Santana. Mr Mango lightly skipped from a hallway to meet her. Figuring he was coming from one of the bedrooms, she hurried in that direction. Soon she found the door of their bedroom slightly ajar and Santana asleep. She was obviously dead asleep, her breathing deep and regular. Her usual self would have exited the room without making any sound. She would have let her wife enjoy a quiet day without Sophia making a ruckus. Brittany had dropped Sophia at her grandparents' for her to enjoy the last days of the holidays. But her mind was a fucking mess and she felt the need to talk like an excruciating pain. It was breaking her heart to do it, yet she softly shook Santana's shoulder.

"My love, wake up..." She already regretted it doing it. However, she couldn't stop. "My love..."

Santana seemed to surface for a second, before turning around and burying her head in the pillow.

Brittany's protective heart collapsed. "My love..." she shook harder.

Santana complained a bit, but finally opened her eyes. Brittany slid herself under the covers and spooned her wife.

"Santana, this is a disaster..." Brittany began to blubber.

The sleepy beauty frowned. "What... What are you, ahem... What are you talking about?"

"The movie!" Brittany embraced Santana as if her five years old self was trying to squeeze comfort out of her living cuddly blanket.

"What's wrong with the movie?"

"It's too good!" Brittany cried out.

Santana chuckled tiredly. She slightly turned her head to see her wife. "How's that bad news?"

"I'm not a successful director! I don't want it! I did not make it for that, I just wanted to do a movie for me... People weren't supposed to like it..."

Giggling, Santana turned around. Brittany wasn't the kind to panic when it came to something other than her kids or wife. She could feel the crisis looming.

"But it's good news! This movie is incredible and you know it, it's no surprise that people like it too... What are you so afraid of?"

"Everybody will see it!" Brittany started with wide frightened eyes.

"That's kinda the point of a movie, babe..."

Brittany stared at her with large puppy eyes. "But why do people want to see it? I don't get it!"

Santana grabbed her wife's face in her hands, forcing her into a sweet and tender stare. "Your movie is _good,_ Brittany. You did it with your heart and your heart is good hence your movie is good. Basic equation, mi amor. They probably want to see it because you gave them the words to let their hearts speak. It's good! It really is!"

Brittany sighed. She snuggled under the covers. She started to stroke Santana's bump. She needed to fill her mind with tender thoughts and reassurance. "But I'm not used to this..."

"What are you talking about, your movies are always quite successful."

"Yeah, with teenagers. Not everybody," Brittany spat, somehow bitterly.

"Come on Britt, relax! Really, it's fine... You can trust yourself you know, what you did is _really_ good..."

Santana stroked her hair as Brittany lowered herself in the bed to put her head on her wife's stomach, the most reassuring place in the world right now.

"Brittany, _mi amor_... You know you have a vision, you see on your own that your movies are good enough for teens, why would it be different now? Just because this movie is special to you? Why can't you see what_ I _see?"

"Can I just hide here all day?" Brittany cut the conversation. She just didn't want to keep talking about her main issue, how badly she didn't trust herself.

"If you want," Santana said around a smile, lovingly putting Brittany's locks behind her ear.

- o -

"So, let's repeat one last time. What did we say, Sophia?" Brittany asked in the rearview mirror.

Outside of the car, kids and family were getting ready for the first day of school. Before entering the arena, Santana and Brittany just wanted to be sure everything was clear for everybody.

Sophia sighed. "Nobody should know Mama is pregnant, this is a secret, and if I tell it, Santa Claus will take Mr Mango away," she repeated for the hundredth time maybe.

"Good," Santana confirmed.

She opened the door and stepped out. She smoothed her loose black clothes, the perfect uniform for someone hiding a little something. Even if this said something was getting harder and harder to hide. When Brittany had finished unlocking Sophia from the car seat, and had put the little new bag on her back, the Pierce team was ready to confront the rest of the world.

"Mama, Mama! I can't see where Barry is!" Sophia complained while being pulled by the hand. There were so many people all around, it was just crazy.

"I think I see them," the tall blonde said looking over everybody's heads. "Nope, false alarm..."

Sophia was panicking. Not because of the school, she couldn't care less about classes. All she wanted was to see her beloved friend. She looked back at her moms, terrified that she couldn't see him anywhere.

"Barry, there!" A man shouted over the crowd.

"_Sophia!" _The little boy jolted, making everybody look around.

The Pierce's saw Barry coming first, soon followed by his dads' pushing a stroller.

A happy "No way!" escaped Santana's throat as the family walked towards them.

Brittany and Santana cooed into the welcoming hugs they all shared. Sophia and Barry were already in their bubble, fooling around and leaving the parents to the family talk. Words of congratulations flew all around.

"I can't believe she's already here!" Brittany sang while looking at the very small baby girl sleeping in her stroller.

"Yeah, she came a little earlier than planned! We just brought her home yesterday actually!" Eddie, Barry's supermodel look-alike dad, answered.

"She's five days old!" Arnold let out with a beaming smile that let everyone know how proud he was.

"What's her name?" Santana inquired as she crouched on front of the stroller to stroke her cheek. She melted as she touched that very specific type of skin, the very soft skin of newborn babies. The light smell of nice products, the insanely small clothes, the pout when sleeping. Her heart just shrunk.

"Lindsey," both dads said at the same time.

"We meant to call to let you know but the last days have been quite... epic," Arnold said softly as he looked down at their new addition.

"Oh gosh, don't worry, it's more than fine!" Brittany chuckled as she looked at the little girl over Santana. She stroked her wife's shoulders, moved.

"Lindsey, you're so cute that I could eat you..." Santana said before standing back to her full height.

"Please wait a little for that, we just got her. We'd like to enjoy her presence for a while before," Eddie kidded, making all of them laugh.

"And you guys, how are you?" Arnold asked, having hard time not looking at Santana specifically. After all, they had never talked about Santana being knocked up. All they had were assumptions and winks.

Brittany beamed as if smiles were a code for "the babies are super fine so everything's fine". "Couldn't be better!"

"I saw your movie's out!" Eddie let out. Santana gestured discreetly that it wasn't something to talk about, shaking her hand under her throat. "_But._.. tell us more about you, Santana," he choked out, trying to lessen the damage.

"Hm... Great, I'm great..."

"I see you started shopping in new stores," Eddie giggled, peeking at Santana's clothes. His fashion designer's eye couldn't be fooled, those basics she was wearing were from maternity stores. They were hiding everything pretty well but ... Eddie was Eddie, he wouldn't swallow this clear ruse.

"Excuse me?" Santana frowned.

"I'm sorry but I have to ask it!" Eddie admitted sheepishly. "How far are you?"

"Eddie, we agreed!" Arnold glared at his husband with big eyes.

"Yeah I know, but I really want to know, though! Our youngests are most likely to go to school together again!"

"It's fine! It's fine... as long as you keep it for yourselves," Santana hushed in a low voice. "I'm a little more than 3 months."

At the confession, the men' faces fell a little. That was not what they expected. Eddie's expert eyes had bet on a good 4 months, or a shy 5 months. After all, women were all different. But 3 months... Santana's cravings seemed to be obviously about food only. And it was quite disappointing for a superstar not to care about her body at all. Eddie's fashion designer mind was innerly pouting.

Santana giggled and shared a conspiring glance with her wife. "I have a few buns in the oven," she whispered for them only.

"Oh..." Eddie let out. That indeed was the only way it could make sense.

"_Boys! Girls! It's time for school!"_ Their children's teacher shouted over the crowd's noise, as she opened the doors.

"Bye moms!" Sophia rushed out, already halfway down the schoolyard.

"Hey! Hey bug, hold on!" Brittany rushed and grabbed Sophia by her bag. The little one almost fell over she was running so fast. "You don't want us to come with you?"

"Why?" Sophia let out innocently.

"I don't know, it's your first day... You're not scared?" Brittany inquired. To be honest, the most scared of the family were Santana and Brittany themselves. Leaving their baby at school after a perfect summer of happiness was making both their hearts crackle.

"Scared? About what? It's school, Mommy!"

"Yeah, I know but..." Brittany felt so silly. She caught her daughter and pulled her into a tight hug.

"Mommy! Let me go!" Sophia complained.

Santana ended the struggle, pulling Sophia out of Brittany's embrace. She put a kiss on her daughter's head. "Go and have fun!" she pushed her daughter to the door and then Sophia was gone.

"What did you do that?" Brittany's voice trembled. "Our baby is growing and you just don't care!"

"Come here," Santana opened her arms wide to give her wife a hug too.

As Brittany cuddled close, she took the opportunity to look around. Arnold had a matching reaction, keeping his cries for himself against his man's chest, like many other parents. Good thing the new school's yearly reunion wasn't on the first day, all the parents would have been weepy messes. Some were sighing at their children running to the door. Some who had said goodbye to their children stared closely at the famous couple. Guess things never change...

Santana waved at Eddie. Official goodbyes were out of the question, their respective better halves were too emotional wrecks to function. They'd keep talking at the school reunion later that week. But for the moment, Santana pulled Brittany away to the car. Arm in arms, Brittany calmed herself down. She took a deep breath, looking at the cars passing by.

"Oh no," she gasped.

"What-"

Santana didn't have time to react before Brittany pulled her into a deep kiss. She pulled her tight into her arms, so very tight.

"What are you doing?" Santana breathed out. Such display of affection infront of their daughter's school wasn't their area of expertise.

"Paps on my right," Brittany whispered.

She pulled her best actress demeanor and smiled wide. Santana got it right away, they played a sweet moment to hide Santana's bump. Fakingly fooling around, Brittany took her coat off. It was still heavier than Santana's. She slipped it on her wife's shoulder, Santana faking coldness. She curled up, hiding her maternity clothes under the large layers. Those websites would find out no time which brands she was wearing, and the rumour would grow before you could say Jack. The goal was now to hide everything, certainly not giving any clue away.

"How do they know?" Brittany let out in a whisper, leading her wife to the car.

"I have no idea... Do you think it's someone from Barry's party?" Santana suggested.

"Oh lord, I don't know. We played safe though. Only Arnold and Eddie know."

"Perhaps we have missed something..." Santana brainstormed out loud.

Soon they reached the car. They locked themselves behind the tinted glass of their windows.

"I can't believe it..." Brittany complained, tapping in the wheel.

"Yup... That's not good news." Santana sighed.

- o -

On the Pierce's couch, Santana was nodding off against her wife's shoulder. The sounds of the football match that was airing on TV had softly rocked her to sleep. That was another peaceful afternoon, the kind of moments now running their life. And Brittany had made a point that it was going to be kept this way. The protective blonde had her arm around her sleeping wife's arm, watching the match with her dad in an armchair, with Chloe in another chair still suffering from the side-effects of the wild party she had attended the day before. Her mother was being herself, a busy bee that couldn't spend more than one hour chilling on a couch. Taking advantage of the sunny afternoon, the older blonde of the family had dragged Sophia and Mr Mango outside, and was arranging the flower beds of her beloved garden to the tune of her granddaughter's laughter.

"_What a great touchdown!"_ The presenter yelled on TV.

Brittany and Andrew gasped in reaction, bringing Santana back from her dreaming. The brunette felt as if she'd been punched in the face. Those afternoon naps were way too deep for her nowadays. She usually woke up forgetting the date, even the century she was living in. She fought to open her eyes, straightening herself.

"Oh I'm sorry, my love!" Brittany cuddled Santana, feeling bad to have woken her up over a stupid game.

"It's hm... it's alright, don't worry," she muttered in her wife's neck.

Without hesitation, Brittany snuggled tight. They whispered cooing sounds under the match's yelling and shared a bunch of kisses that spoke volumes about the song their hearts were singing. Brittany took advantage of the fact that her father was absorbed by the match. She gazed at her wife even more than usual. Brittany and Santana used to share their most intimate gestures from their home. Even with their family, only kisses and handholds were left to be seen. Strokes and snuggles, that was another story.

Santana looked up at Brittany with a smirk that had never left her lips since they had exited from the ultrasound appointment. Brittany stroked her jaw, the two of them lost in their bubble.

"Your love makes me sick," Chloe complained from the armchair.

Her head tilted back on the chair's back, it was obvious she had been watching all along in her sick position. She was afraid to move. Her insides felt much more like a volcano than the dreamland her sister and sister-in-law were experiencing.

"Chloe..." Andrew sighed at his youngest daughter.

"Leave it, Dad, she's just jealous," Brittany giggled. Santana snuggled even more, smirking hard.

"Jealous of what? I have a boyfriend, remember," Chloe mocked.

"Boyfriend we have never seen..." Santana sang cynically. "I'm starting to really believe this Damian is a pure creation of your sister's weird mind."

"Now you're pointing that out, I think you might be right actually, _my love_," Brittany teased and Santana softly laughed.

Chloe huffed. "You'll regret this conversation when you meet him, believe me. He's no good, you don't want that around Soph'," Chloe emphasized.

"Spare me the yarns, you're just a chicken," Brittany drove the point home.

Chloe flew off the handle. Now the war was on, Brittany gloated. She snuggled her wife very tight and pulled her into a deep and long loving kiss. This kiss was so delicious that Santana licked her lips when it ended, as if Brittany had left on her mouth some of her sweetest love to taste.

"Why are you so lovey-dovey today anyway?" Chloe said cringing her nose.

Santana couldn't hold a silly chuckle. Brittany bit her lip.

"Tell her," Santana whispered.

Brittany's face suddenly lost all its colors. "But we agreed on not tellin-"

"No, tell her she won't know a thing," Santana had hard time keeping her laughs inside.

Brittany chuckled feeling all cheesy. "Santana... That's just mean. I thought we'd just say nothing and not rock the boat."

"She forced me to tell her I'm knocked up," the brunette said around a lazy shrug. "It's up to you though..."

Brittany played with her lips. The idea was indeed very tempting. Chloe would be furious, but this would be insanely funny to witness.

"So we play it like that, front aggression style?" Brittany inquired cheekily.

Andrew coughed, drawing Brittany's attention. The man had a malicious smile written all over his face, having heard and understood everything. He pursed his lips, very shyly nodding to indicate to his eldest that he was agreeing to the plan.

"What are all these low masses?" Chloe complained.

"Hey Chloe, you really wanna know?"

"Should I expect something I shouldn't hear, like something sexual?" she asked roughly .

"We went to do an ultrasound a couple of days ago. We know what the babies are," Brittany said bluntly.

Chloe gasped. She straightened herself on the chair, grabbed the arm-rests forcefully, waiting for the end of the news. "No fucking way!"

Santana nodded and disappeared in her wife's neck. As another player made a great strike on TV, Brittany and Andrew lost all interest in the conversation.

"Hey! Hey! We have better things to do right now!" Chloe snapped in front of the TV. Now she was standing in the middle of the living-room, her hangover already long forgotten and more than ready to hear the big news. "So?!"

"So what?" Brittany spat, looking over her sister's shoulder to watch the TV.

"Don't bullshit me guys! Tell me! Please!"

"Nuh-huh," Brittany made a face.

"What do you mean 'nuh-huh'?"

"We're keeping it for ourselves," Santana let out, malicious and eyes gleaming with wickedness.

Chloe froze, an ice statue in front of the TV set. She suddenly laughed, worn with anxiety. "Good one! You almost got me!"

"Can you move from the TV please, we can't see a thing," Andrew chided.

"Dad, come on," Chloe shook her arms, lost on why her father seemed so cool when her own mind was on fire.

"Chloe, move. Santana told you they won't tell, so you move from the TV so I can finish my match. Thank you," he ordered quite coldly.

"But she's not serious," Chloe said hands on her hips.

"Oh, she is very much so," Brittany confirmed gazing at her wife.

Chloe laughed nervously. "No, no, no, that's not okay, you have to tell."

"Well... Dear beloved sister, it's not _okay_ to grill my wife the way you did either..."

Cut to the quick, Chloe pointed at them as she waited for a retaliation to materialize in her mind so she could throw it back. But nothing came and she remained frozen and wordless.

"Revenge is a dish best served cold..." Andrew muttered cynically.

"Dad, do something!"

"I always say your mother and you are way too curious. You're just paying the consequences of your actions," he said lazily watching the screen.

"Dad!" Chloe's eyes were about to leave their sockets.

"Their kids, their rules... Actually, I'm glad they do it like that. You both need a lesson and leave those babies alone."

Chloe was shocked. She kept looking at Brittany, Santana and Andrew. The three of them looked so relaxed, so cool. It just made no sense.

"You know what, fine!" she sat back, kind of giving up. "Mom will tell me when she knows anyway."

Brittany chuckled. "Sis, you don't get it. We won't tell. Mom won't know either. Nobody will," she stated clearly.

"_Nobody?"_ Chloe repeated, trying to comprehend how bad the situation was.

"Nope, nobody."

Chloe threw herself out of the chair and ran to the garden. "Mom! Mom! Disaster, Mom!"

They all laughed. They all forgot about the cool and relaxed personas they had put themselves in. Andrew let his smile shine finally.

"I don't think they'll survive that, girls..."

"If only we cared..." Brittany commented jokingly.

"_Brittany!_" Julie entered the room with Chloe hot on her heels, Sophia and Mr. Mango lagging behind. Still holding her mini rake for her gardening, she was just as shocked. "What did I just hear?"

"Sorry, Mom!" Brittany lazily let out over the couch.

Julie came right in front of them, as Sophia and her puppy came to play at their feet.

"Some things should not be joked about, Brittany..." Julie reprimanded.

"Exactly Julie, Santana will have a much calmer pregnancy without your curious fuss around," Andrew stuck with them.

"Andrew!" she fumed, just as Chloe had done minutes before. At this particular point, it was obvious just how much Chloe really looked like Julie, and Brittany looked much more like her father. She took deep breaths, trying to figure a solution out of this major problem. She took her gloves off, and put everything away on the coffee table. She softly pushed Sophia away and crouched in front of the mysterious couple. She went to stroke Santana's bump. "Girls, you know how much I love you... I'd do anything for you and them, you know it," she softly negotiated while stroking.

"We won't tell, Julie," Santana said with a smirk.

Julie took her hands off and stood up in record time. "Why!"

"We don't want anything to filter through. To protect them," Brittany explained around a kind and honest smile. "Less people know, less worry we have."

Julie nervously giggled. "Brittany darling, I'm your mother, why would I do such a thing?"

"You'd run to the first store, buy everything pink or blue and everybody would know about them in less than three days," Andrew fought back. Never had his wife thrown such an angry death stare at him.

"Mom, people are already talking at Sophia's school, paps already started to chase us... We'll be back in the limelight in no time, we can't risk anything," Brittany defended their idea.

"But I'm your mother! How could you not trust me like that!"

"Julie..." Santana tried to ease the storm. "We had such a hard time to have them, we want the best. Really, it's not against you. My family won't know a thing either! It feels safer this way... And it'd be a nice surprise at the delivery!" she attempted, smiling kindly to mean this was absolutely not against them.

"That would be a great surprise now! What are we supposed to do in the meantime? All the shopping, the baby-shower... We have to plan everything! How am I supposed to do if I don't know..."

"Gender-free colors, Mom..." Brittany breathed out very softly, compromising.

Julie shrugged sadly. Chloe poked her, insisting. They shared a look and Julie sighed. "You'll never tell?"

"We're not planning on..."

"And you won't change your mind, you won't tell anybody about their genders?"

"Me, I know!" Sophia let out, all innocently.

"What are they?! Tell me baby, I'm gonna buy you a present if you tell me!" Chloe started with her best voice, yet a bit too stressed to be reassuring.

"I don't want your present, it's secret! Santa Claus will take my puppy back if I tell!" Sophia chided in her high pitched tone. Her look was strong and defiant, and it was obvious that Brittany and Santana had made sure the little girl wouldn't tell a thing to anybody.

Suddenly, the little bundle of fur playing at Chloe's feet seemed like the reincarnation of the devil itself. The fuming aunt knew perfectly well how much Sophia cherished her puppy, her most beloved thing in the world after her moms. Never would she turn her back on her puppy. Chloe huffed. "Diablo Gogo..." she threatened at him.

"That's _it_!" Santana started loudly, stopping everybody in their train of thoughts. She sighed from the bottom of her heart. She was now relieved from a very heavy issue. "Gogo! That's a decent nickname for that damn dog! Huh Gogo, come see Mama," she snapped to the ground to make the dog come.

Brittany laughed and Sophia rushed. "No Mama, his name is Mr Mango!"

"But baby, he needs a nickname! We rarely call you Sophia, we always call you with nicknames sweetie." Sophia was perplexed. "You know, like when we call you babydoll, or sweetheart... We give you nickname because we love you! So Mr Mango needs a nickname too because we love him too, right?"

Suddenly, it made more sense to Sophia's mind. "Gogo!" the little girl called for her dog.

Santana closed her fist, feeling like a champion in the middle of an arena. She felt as if she had won the battle of her life. Now this dog would have a decent name which would end the gagging name "Mr Mango" it was inspiring to Santana.

"May we keep going on the babies' case, please," Chloe insisted.

"Let's make a deal," Brittany offered and Julie and Chloe nodded frantically. "No grilling, no insisting-"

"_That_ is not a deal," Chloe spat.

"_No grilling and no insisting_, but in the meantime, we'll leave clues here and there so you can guess."

Mom and daughter bit their lips. They shared a deep look. "If we find out the right pairing, you'll confirm, right? You won't lie to us just to keep the mystery going?"

Brittany peeked down at Santana, the latter making a face to bring her ear closer. Brittany smiled wide.

"We won't lie-" Chloe breathed out, "But! You only have one shot. If you fail it, it'd be too bad for you."

"Deal," Chloe agreed.

Julie huffed, barely satisfied and left the room without a word.

Chloe followed. "Mom, where are you going?!"

"I would have never agreed! You hear me, _never!"_ Julie spat from the hallway.

Andrew let his shy laughs die. "Oh man... I'm gonna hear a lot about that..."

"Sorry..." Santana sincerely apologized. "It's just... really important to us..."

"Oh don't worry, that's more than fine! I'm actually thrilled..." He resumed watching the game, grinning. After long minutes of silence, he tried his chance. "And you don't want to tell your old daddy? You know I can keep the secret..."

Brittany laughed. "Yeah, I know you can but for the sake of your own marriage, no."

She stroked Santana's stomach lovingly. These babies were theirs in every sense of the word. This way, there would be no fuss, no manic grandmothers going all crazy on them. They'd run their own baby-shower, all the shopping and it'd be too bad for them if the babies weren't what the grandparents wanted. In Santana's womb, they'd be safe and peaceful. Just the way it was supposed to be. Not telling was making them incredibly happy. Their "dirty" secret was only made of sweetness.

"Why did I father such smart girls..." he let out. A longtime fan of thriller novels, he was ecstatic by the mystery surrounding the babies. They all were in for the investigation of the century.

* * *

Tell me what you think! I hope you're not too mad at me for keeping the mystery... :D The anons that came on tumblr just made my day with all their questions, love you guys! Cheers!


	10. The Threat

"Did you sleep well, babydoll?" Santana inquired entering the kitchen, while Brittany was cooking their breakfast and Sophia was patiently waiting for her food.

"I dreamed that a crocodile was eating Grandma Julie's cat! I was scared! The cat was running all around and the crocodile bit its head!"

"Aww baby, it only was a bad dream, it could never happen," she attempted to reassure their daughter as she took her seat around the table.

"How do you know?"

"Grandma doesn't own a cat, Soph'."

"Yes she does!"

"What cat are you talking about?"

"The cat on my room's bed at grandparents' house!"

Both moms laughed. "It's a stuffed cat! It's not a real cat. It could never run Soph'. It's just a toy. See, your nightmare could never happen," Brittany explained as she set a plate full of pancakes in the middle of the table.

Sophia thought for a minute about her Mommy's solid argument and the frown over her eyebrows faded a bit. Her nightmare was all forgotten when Santana put pancakes in the plate on front of her, barely allowing her mom to finish serving them.

"Slow down, they're not gonna run either," Santana kidded.

"So, _women of my life_..." Brittany chuckled, "What do you want to do today? The weather forecast says we're in for wonderful weather all day, we should go out and do something."

"The zoo! I want to go to the zoo! The zoo Moms, the zoo!" Sophia gasped.

"Alright, I know, you always want to go to the zoo..." Brittany tried to calm her down. "But we can't go there. Mama can't walk all day, you know that."

"Actually, I'm kinda in the mood for the zoo too..." Santana winked at her daughter, much to Brittany's chagrin.

"We're not going to have you on your feet for hours. That's not an option, Santana."

"We can take breaks. We don't have to take it all in at once. What do you think, Soph'? What if you don't run all over the place so we don't have to chase after you and we take some ice-cream breaks so I can rest for a few minutes, huh?" Santana chuckled. She hadn't finished her sentence yet before Brittany was already shrugging, annoyed with her for trading reason for their daughter's delight.

"Seriously, we're not going," Brittany did not compromise when it came to safety.

"We can take it easy, we don't have to rush. Besides I could use some exercise, it's good for me. I'm not talking about running a marathon. It's just the zoo, honey."

"You were tired yesterday, we shouldn't push it... When I said 'something outside', I meant something like going to the pool, or sunbathing at the my parents'. You know, somewhere you can lay down so everybody's fine."

"I was tired last night just like everybody is at the end of the day. I'm fine Britt! For God's sake, stop worrying!" Santana chuckled, between moved and exasperated by her overprotective wife. "And even if I feel like we're pushing it a little too much, we'll just come back and I promise to spend the rest of the day on the couch and everybody will be happy. Is it settled then? Are we going to the zoo?" Santana challenged raising an eyebrow.

Brittany stared back, biting her lip. Santana was sometimes really hormonal, under the impulsion of the moment, and it was her job to protect her from that, even if Santana didn't like it at all sometimes.

"I will get tired anyhow so at least I'd rather do something that gives me a reason to actually feel tired for once," Santana drove the point home smirking.

"Mommy, the zoo! All the animals... and I want to see the monkeys!" Sophia took advantages of Brittany's indecision.

"She loves monkeys," Santana unfairly negotiated with Sophia's support as she bit into a pancake.

"I really like monkeys!" Sophia nodded furiously.

"And I didn't even mention the elephants yet..." Santana smirked.

"OH! The _elephants_..." Sophia dropped her fork on the table with a great noise, realizing how much she loved those animals and how she furiously _needed _to see them, as if there was no tomorrow. Santana tried to keep her giggles quiet as she kept eating. "Mama, please!" Sophia grabbed Santana's arm, "We need to go! Why Mommy doesn't get it! We need to go!"

"Okay fine! Fine!" Brittany raised her hands in retreat. _"Fine!"_ she raised her voice to calm her daughter down, her feet drumming on the chair, and to cover Santana's laugh. "But we will stop at least every hour to rest a little and that is not negotiable. And when I mean rest, I mean we _all _sit for at least ten minutes."

"We're going to the zoo..." Santana cooed, and tickled her daughter to make her laugh even more.

Brittany resumed eating, seething, as she foresaw a long and stressful day ahead of her. She didn't even look up while finishing her plate. She barely listened to her family planning which animals they'd visit first. She peeked at her wife's empty plate and without looking at her, she went to take it to the sink. Santana grabbed her hand.

"I wouldn't have insisted if I wasn't feeling great, honey. I'm not saying this just to reassure you. I mean it. I really feel good!"

Brittany looked up. "You feel good because we have been super careful since the beginning, that's why. I'd rather keep it that way."

"I am fine _and_ rested, and last time I checked, walking wasn't an extreme sport," she cracked a smile. "We should enjoy these moments before the babies become too heavy and we can't go out as a family anymore. I want to do things with and for my babydoll before it's too late, even if it means getting just a little tired," she said with her softest voice as Brittany stared back, moody. "When we come home, I promise to take a nap and a bath before bed to relax if it reassures you," she tried to persuade her.

"Okay..." Brittany just grabbed the plate and turned around.

She didn't want to pursue this conversation. She would still have to worry about health and safety, and she would still spend the day watching her wife's every reaction to be certain she felt okay. Santana let go of Brittany's bad mood and talked with her daughter about their day, all over again, as Brittany tidied the kitchen counter out of stress.

"_Uh!" _Santana loudly let out, surprised. Brittany turned around in a hurry to see her wife holding on her bump, eyes wide open and frozen.

"What is it? Are you alright?" She left everything she was tidying as it was and rushed to her wife's side.

"They kicked!" Santana blurted. "They just kicked, right there!" She grabbed Brittany's hand in a hurry and placed it firmly on the right spot. "I swear they kicked right there! Come on darlings, do it again for Mommy... Do it again..." she pleaded, her eyes shining like two black diamonds. Brittany just gazed at her bright face, certain that their first kick was Santana's and hers only, and that it would be really hard to feel them on their first kicks anyway. "Come on sweethearts, I can feel you flutter... Just one more..."

"It's alright San... They'll kick more often from now on!" Brittany tried to reassure her and not to hope for too much too soon. She started to stroke the round stomach, blessed to know that life nicely was on its way inside.

"Come on..." Santana whispered just for the babies. She locked her eyes on the stroking hand as minutes went by in complete silence. "Did you just feel that?!" Santana jolted a bit. It was incredibly special to share this with Brittany, both of them together for the twins' very first moves.

"Oh my god..." Brittany let out barely audible. She crouched to talk right against Santana's bump and applied both hands to cover it. "Hello my little angels..." she cooed in her baby voice, which made Santana softly giggle out of sheer joy, "Good morning..."

The sound of a fork falling into a plate brought them back from their daydreaming. They peeked at Sophia, who, very confused by the scene, lost grip of her fork. "Why is Mommy talking to your belly?" Sophia asked skeptically.

"The babies just kicked sweetheart. Maybe they can hear me," Brittany sweetly answered, dazed. Sophia kept staring with big eyes, more and more confused by the fact that Brittany was using the voice she usually used to talk to her and her only, and that her moms seemed to share a very special moment in which she had no role.

"Come here, babydoll," Santana gestured to her daughter to come over her with a reassuring smile. The little girl obeyed and Santana put her arm around her and kissed her on the top of her head to cheer her up. "Do you want to try to feel them?"

Sophia just kept staring, more and more unsettled. Santana and Brittany understood right away that they had to do something to explain to their baby girl what was really happening. Santana grabbed her daughter by the chin to make her look up and pay attention to what she was about to say.

"You know, babies are growing inside my tummy. So inch by inch, I'll feel them more and more because they are just like us, they need to stretch, they switch positions... Just like you do when you're asleep, babydoll! You see how my stomach is getting rounder and rounder, right?"

Sophia was a little lost and scared, but she nodded. Indeed, even if she had understood why her Mama's belly started to look like a comfy cushion, she had never thought the babies could actually move, kick, and certainly not be like her when she was sleeping.

"Good. Actually, it's gonna get even rounder and bigger, until I look really, _really_ fat-" Brittany chuckled. "And it means the babies are growing again and again. They'll start to do things, just like today when they kicked-"

"But it hurts when someone kicks! I had a bruise when Charlie kicked me at school last time!" Sophia remembered the huge bruise she had stuck on her knee for weeks after a mean boy kicked her to get the ball she was playing with. She didn't want the babies to hurt her Mama, she didn't understand why they had to do it. It wasn't nice at all.

"It doesn't hurt me, babydoll!" she said enthusiastically with her most reassuring eyes. She grabbed her daughter's hand, and pushed with her thumb in her palm, "It's just like that. See, it doesn't hurt at all." She pushed again. It seemed to reassure the girl a little. "We're excited because the fact they kick inside me means they're growing up, and that they're happy. It's a good thing!"

Santana and Brittany held their breaths and locked their eyes as the babies were moving again. They stared lovingly at each other deep in the eye with the urge to kiss each other, but they had some serious business to deal with right now: their traumatized daughter.

"Let her feel it," Brittany urged as she took her hands off to make room.

Without Sophia's consent, Santana put the little girl's hand on her stomach topped by her own, giving her a smile meaning it was all okay and she didn't have to worry. Sophia looked back and forth between her moms. She was supposed to feel something but nothing was coming. Santana took a more comfy position on the chair and kept giving her daughter reassuring smiles. Sophia's eyes went wide when she felt a little something fussing under her fingertips.

Santana chuckled, "You feel that? Do you feel how soft it is?"

"It isn't you?" Sophia asked surprised.

"Nope, not at all. It's the babies."

Sophia hurried her other hand on the stomach, "Make them move again!"

Her moms laughed. "I can't do that, babydoll, I can't decide... But they'll move a lot. Don't worry sweetheart, I'll let you feel them next time they decide to move," Santana explained with her sweetest smile.

- o -

Brittany fulminated. In the rearview mirror of her car, she caught sight of a scooter following her. The driver didn't even bother hiding his huge camera. If she was alone, she would have sped up and tried to lose him. But Sophia was in the back seat. Too bad if it was annoying, their safety was way more important. Their dark windows would protect them from curious eyes until they reached their destination. When Brittany parked in front of Sam's office, she unwrapped her scarf to hand to her daughter.

"Baby, put that on your face please," she passed it back over her shoulder.

"Why?"

"Don't question me sweetie, just put that on. Like Princess Jasmine, ya know? Imagine it's a pretty veil," she said with her most playful smile.

Sophia wouldn't miss an opportunity to play dress-up. She grabbed it forcefully and threw it around her face while Brittany exited the car to unlock her. As she did, clinking sounds were ringing far away. Brittany didn't even needed to peek, she knew too well what was going on.

"Huggy, huggy!" Brittany faked when she was about to get Sophia off of the car. She opened her arms, putting Sophia into a hug. "Cuddle close," she instructed.

No need to tell her twice, Sophia threw her arms around her mother's neck and snuggled, all hidden under her scarf. Brittany stroked her daughter's head to make sure she would keep snuggling without showing her face. They sneaked into the building as quickly as possible.

Brittany relaxed only when she reached the office. She shrugged sadly when she put the little girl down. She could feel the pressure grow. Brittany had never been followed, only Santana. She was now the one in the spotlight. She had never envied Santana's struggle with paparazzi. Who would? Protect Sophia. That was all Brittany's mind kept repeating.

"Sam! Look, I'm Princess Jasmine!" Sophia jolted when Sam opened the door of his office.

Brittany hurried to take the scarf off. Her stress was easily readable on her face.

"Brittany, are you alright?" Sam frowned.

"Hm... Soph', why don't you go in Sam's office while I talk to him for a sec?" Sophia nodded and ran. "I got chased by paparazzi on my way here..."

He scratched his head. "Yeah, I figured..."

"What do you mean?" They had never talked about it. Paparazzi chasing them was something new, that started a while ago at Sophia's school. As long as nothing was in the press, it had no importance. It was just stressful.

"You haven't seen the magazines?"

Brittany died a little. "... What magazines?"

Sam coughed, embarrassed. He gestured to wait a second and headed to the front desk. There, his assistant was watching the scene with big eyes. They almost left their sockets when Sam asked her to give the tabloids she was reading during her lunch break. She complied, somehow urged by Sam's kindness. She flushed red because she knew very well what was the magazine about, this tabloid she had bought on her way to work that morning.

When she read the headlines, Brittany pinched the bridge of her nose. A proud "The Lopez-Pierce enlarge the family?" was written with fluorescent letters on a picture of them around Sophia's school. Thank God the picture was blurry, Sophia's face was just a mess of pixels. She flipped through the tabloid to find the special case of the day. With zooms and close-ups, whole pages were covered by an investigation on whether or not Santana was pregnant, thanks to some "sources" that revealed the scoop.

"Fuck..." she breathed out.

"That's not good news, isn't it?" Sam said with a compassionate smile.

"Nope, not really... I think some jerks have figured it out at Soph's school. I don't know who particularly, but you know... There are looks." Brittany was bitter.

"Like teachers or parents?"

"Oh, parents. We trust the teachers, and besides, we never told them. But Santana has hard time hiding it lately. She only dresses in black and loose stuff but... At some point we'll have to go with it, that's for sure. But the later, the better."

Sam tapped on her shoulder with a reassuring smile.

"I just don't want them to touch Sophia," Brittany admitted with a sad sigh from the bottom of her heart.

"Sam! You need to clean my teeth!" Sophia called standing against the doorframe of his office. She was getting impatient.

Brittany chuckled. At least her daughter was a sweetheart and she understand a bit of what was going on. She was fine. As long as she was fine...

"I think Jasmine is requesting her Teeth Savior Prince..." Sam joked. "Come on, it's gonna be alright, they're just pictures."

"Still..."

"Don't let them ruin your moment, Brittany," he came closer. "You have better things to look forward to, right?"

Brittany sighed. A shy smile appeared on her lips. "The babies, they started kicking a few days ago."

Sam chuckled, "Seriously?"

"Yup... and they kicked hard enough for me to feel them right away. It was just... magic."

"Sam! My teeth are waiting!" Sophia kept complaining.

- o -

A zoo. That was what Sophia's school had turned into. A horde of paparazzi patiently waited for the family to arrive, their cameras turned on and their eyes scrutinizing every car. Thankfully, the school's teachers were jewels. They had called Brittany and Santana to let them know and they had indicated a small entrance they could use to preserve their privacy. It had taken a week. Just a week to create the frenzy. Now Brittany's movie was on the front pages of the magazines, the rumours of pregnancy had just set everything on fire. Every magazine had a word for them, Brittany this, Santana that... And Sophia was stuck in the middle of it all. The moms had found tricks to fool their daughter about the seriousness of the situation. If they'd explain people wanted pictures of her because she was famous, the little girl's colorful temper would have instructed her to go up front, smile wide and shine in front of the cameras. But she had no idea of what it meant.

When they were sure Sophia was safe in the classroom, they started to relax. On the other side of the room's windows, Sophia was already playing with some kids as if nothing was happening.

"Soon you're gonna check my ID to drop off my own kids at school?!" An angry parent complained to a teacher while entering the school.

"Mrs Koller, please stay calm," the teacher tried with her softest voice.

"You want me to stay calm? What is this mess happening outside? Do you think it's normal to have our kids walking through this jungle every morning?"

"No Ma'am, it's not okay. We already called the police but they can't do anything since the street is public domain. They have every right to be there, sadly."

"Oh really, they have every right to harass our children?"

"With all due respect, they don't care about your children. We took precautions, we just have to wait for them to leave, which they will do once they realize they won't get what they want."

"And what do they want?"

The teacher coughed. The Pierce's were just a few feet away from her.

"They want the Pierce's kid, she's the one they want," another mom taking part in the conversation explained, bitter. "Like we care about her," she grumbled with a self-important tone.

"Hey, hey you! What are you saying about my daughter?" Santana jolted, she couldn't stand it anymore. She rushed to the small group standing in the school's entrance with angry steps. "You have something to say? Say it to my face!"

"Santana, please..." Brittany followed hands in front, pleading.

"We have nothing to say, Mrs. Pierce," the first mom stated coldly.

"Oh don't play that on me!" Brittany went to catch Santana by the waist, protective. Santana couldn't care less. No one touched Sophia, ever. She threw a death stare to the grumbling mom. "And you, you don't want to repeat out loud what you just said?"

"Mrs. Pierce, please, let's stay calm," the teacher raised her voice, unsuccessfully.

Barry's dad pushed open the door of the school, bumping into the scene. But lost in the situation, nobody paid attention. He let his son leave for the classroom on his own and listened in on the fight.

"They're bitching about my daughter, how can I stay calm!" Santana spat to the teacher, angry to the bone. "You think I'm happy about those assholes chasing us? You think I like it?" she pointed angrily to the bitter mothers.

"Wow, wow, what is going on in here?" Eddie helped the teacher by standing in between.

"We don't care about your business. Please, keep our children out of your mess!" the first mom threatened.

"Rita," Eddie stopped her right away. "We're in a private school and we pay a lot so our kids are safe and well-educated. The Pierce's deserve the same peace of mind that we're all paying for."

"But obviously there are double standards in this school," Santana hurled to the mothers.

"Santana, please," Brittany tried to catch her wife's arms. All she could think about was how bad getting angry could be to the babies. "Don't get too upset, please..."

Eddie puffed out his chest. The truth was that Eddie and his husband felt sad for their friends. They had witnessed the circus happening outside like everyone else. They had seen the Pierce's car drive in the private courtyard of the school whereas the institution's law had made very clear that this entrance was for emergencies only. This argument was just unfair. He had to defend them.

"Santana, let me sort this out," he tried to reassure the angry moms. He turned his head in the other moms' direction. It was obvious that he wanted to provide a thoughtful solution to this problem. "Rita, this is counterproductive to fight. We all need to stick together. We don't tell them anything, we act as if nothing was happening and that'll make them leave sooner."

"Thank you," Brittany breathed out. Finally someone was showing some wisdom.

The other mom, silent until then, puffed. "You're fooling yourself. They won't leave until she pops," she said with a smug yet calm tone. She didn't seem as surprised or disturbed by the mess around them as the other moms did. Just slightly annoyed perhaps.

Eddie stared. He knew the woman, she had been at Barry's birthday party. He also remembered that she had been the one trying to record Santana without her consent. She was supposed to be his friend.

"And even if they do, it doesn't change the fact that we gotta stick together for them," he very clearly said.

Now that the woman was taking part in the conversation, she was on his radar. He kept staring, watching her closely. For a woman supposedly going through a divorce, her new earrings seemed to be well beyond her price range. He knew she had hard time paying for the school because of the divorce's lawyers' bills. He frowned.

"Nice earrings you have there, Shelley," he said suspiciously.

Taken aback, the mom held her breath as if Eddie had shot her right in the head. "Family jewels," she explained, suddenly uneasy.

"Um, no they're not. They're Dior's new autumn/winter collection. They just came out last week," he came closer. He had a gift. He couldn't be fooled on such details.

The woman stepped back a little. She avoided looking at the Pierce's at all costs.

"You... You, I remember you..." Brittany let out, putting all the pieces together. She softly pushed Santana away to get closer to the suspicious woman. "You tried to record Santana at the party!"

The woman coughed. Her eyes couldn't stop darting. She scratched her arms. "I'm sorry? I don't know what you're talking about..."

Eddie was a smart guy. He had never been divorced but one didn't need to be clairvoyant to guess that the proceedings rendered her broke. She already had two jobs to pay for the school and she was willing to do anything to maintain her lifestyle as if nothing had changed. She could probably do anything, like trade juicy scoops for a decent amount of money that could solve all of her problems. Santana's bump, even if she was trying everything to hide it, was showing more and more, only to strengthen the school's gossips even more. The media could use such earfuls.

"Shelley, don't tell me you did it..." He came even closer, slowly walking toward her with his eyes dripping in disappointment.

Brittany and Santana gasped. "You gave us away!" Brittany accused.

"Leave that poor woman alone," Rita yelled in the defendant's defence. She was just so angry about the mess happening outside that nobody standing against it would deserve her favor.

"That poor woman?! She has made our life a living hell!" Santana jolted.

"It's you that brought this on my family," Brittany kept accusing coming closer. She was walking slowly, her anger was building itself little by little. She took her time to realize who the person standing in front of her was. A betrayer in the supposedly safe ground of the school.

"I can't believe it..." Eddie was shocked.

"You did this to my family..." Brittany's voice was torn by rage.

"I don't know what you're talking about!" Shelley defended herself, hands in front. However, the traces of her guilt were written all over her face.

"You gave my daughter up to those tigers. What good do you think you did? Why? Why!" Brittany's anger exploded.

Shelley just didn't know where to go. The closed entrance door behind her was tempting, but running away would just close her case. She kept stepping back.

"You did it to pay for your divorce, didn't you?!" Eddie threatened.

Brittany gasped. The horror just had no limit at all. She lost it. "You fucking did this to save your ass? Selfish bitch!"

"Mrs. Pierce, please..." The teacher, frozen in shock up until then, tried to contain the fight. But how could she possibly keep a hurt mother from protecting her child...

"Do you realize what you fucking did!"

"I need money, okay? I have a kid to feed and bills to pay!" Shelley admitted from the bottom of her heart. "I'm sorry it's no fun to you, but I had to save the situation for my son!"

"Oh listen to that Brittany! Her life is so difficult that it's okay for her to ruin other people's lives!" Santana spat cynically. "She has problems, it's alright because she has fucking financial problems!"

"They're chasing us! They're waiting for us in front of our building! They're chasing our daughter! Don't you have any sense of humanity in your heart? This is not a life for a child!"

"Oh come on, you're celebrities. You have to deal with what it implies. It's got nothing to do with us," the other mother interjected.

"Just because we are celebrities, it doesn't mean our daughter should endure it," Brittany spat.

"You knew the consequences, don't complain about it."

"Are you saying that famous people shouldn't want a peaceful life for their children?" Eddie helped.

"That's not what I meant. I'm saying that if they can't manage it, we shouldn't be the ones to pay for it."

Brittany and Santana fulminated. They were so filled with rage that they were stuck, frozen in the anger. They breathed heavily, shaken by the desire to start taking swings.

"I've had enough. We are talking about children, _human beings_. All children deserve respect and privacy, even sons of bitches like you," Santana raged on her way out.

Brittany grabbed her angrily closed fist as she passed. She threw her a glance meaning for her to wait a second. She faced the guilty defendant.

"You'll get a visit from our lawyer. I hope you made a really good deal with the press, 'cause we're not leaving you with a single penny," she flung and headed out, pulling Santana with her.

Brittany walked Santana out, in the opposite direction from all the parents. Their car was in the private courtyard of the school unlike the rest. She put her arms around Santana's shoulders, protective. Nobody harmed her family. Nobody had the right to get Santana angry, to take pictures of Sophia. The school's staff reverently opened each door on their way. They had all heard the ruffle. They made room for the raging couple to pass fast. When they were finally safely locked in their car, they relaxed. The anger vanished, replaced by sadness.

"I knew this would happen, yet I hoped it never would," Santana admitted from the bottom of her heart.

Brittany stroked her thigh. She sighed. "I bet..."

"Should we take care of this right now?"

"Do you think you'll be able to calm down if we do it later?"

"I don't think so..." Santana shrugged.

Brittany took a second to calm down her rushing heartbeat. She pulled herself together in this silent car. She started the engine, lowered her tinted window to show a teacher they were ready to leave so he could open the gate. She closed it back as soon as she could, and drove in the opposite direction of where she was supposed to, back home.

"Are you going to Quinn's?" Santana whispered, torn by melancholy.

"Yup..." Brittany said all eyes on the road.

Once in a while, she peeked in the rearview mirror to see if paparazzi were following them or not. The crowd of scooters slowly reduced as they drove further and further. Santana watched in the outside mirror and got sadder with each minute. By the time they reached Quinn's office, they were finally rid of all their hunters. They sneaked into the building as fast as they could.

Quinn's receptionist gasped when she saw coming the famous couple.

"Is Miss Fabray available?" Brittany went straight to the point.

"She's...hm, she's in a-.. a meeting. Hm... She'll be done in ah... 20 minutes I think," she stammered.

"Can we wait in her office?"

"Su-sure..." she stood up to show them the way.

"Don't bother, we know the building," Santana said around a small smile, the first of that day.

Hand in hand, they wound through the maze of hallways. They took a seat in Quinn's office armchairs, the ones they had sit in so many times. Their hold swinging in the void in between them, they innerly brooded the fight over and over again. Santana was staring at her feet, trying to create a strategy to protect Sophia, to ruin this bitchy chatterbox who had destroyed their peace of mind. A squeaking sound brought her back from her thoughts. Brittany was moving her chair to face her wife.

"Well, it didn't happen the way we wanted, but we wouldn't have been able to hide it for much longer," Brittany said.

She bent, fondled her bump. A single stroke was revealing the lovely mountain in progress. Her shirt creased, followed the round shape. Her fingers travelled up, she pulled Santana's necklace hidden under the clothes. She made the silver ball roll, just like Alma had explained how to.

"That doesn't make it okay though," Santana sighed.

"No, it doesn't. Yet in the end it's the same. People will know. It just rushed things."

Santana frowned. "What are we gonna do for Soph'?"

"I think we should explain it to her. She's smart enough to understand," Brittany cracked a smile.

"Brittany, I don't have patient baby words to explain this. I just hate it so much..." she emptied her heart staring at the stroking hand. "How am I supposed to give a reassuring image of this when I despise it so hard?"

Brittany pulled her chair closer. She slid her hand under Santana's shirt. The longer she'd stroke, the calmer Santana would get. It was a simple equation, yet it never failed to work.

"Let's make a deal. I talk to her, you find a strategy to hide her better. I take the clap-trap, you take the battle on the field. How does that sound?" she said with a wink, trying to ease their both minds.

"Sounds like I'm gonna kick some ass," Santana reciprocated the smile.

"You're gonna teach them to be fierce from the inside," Brittany chuckled as she steadied her hand, hoping to feel something.

"Get with the program, kids!" Santana giggled, tapping playfully on her sides.

Quinn stormed in her own office. She was carrying huge files about to fall on the ground. She was startled when she realized she had company. She put the files away on the closest piece of furniture.

"Who did I kill to get a visit from the royal couple?" Quinn kidded on her way to them.

"Shut it Fabray, we're here for serious business," Santana stood up and hugged her mate.

"Who did _you_ guys kill?" she hugged Brittany.

"Thirty minutes ago, we were about to pull the trigger on that bitch at Sophia's school who gave us up to the papps," Brittany barely joked.

"Woohoo! Restriction orders and indemnifications, I can hear you calling..." Quinn sang taking her seat. She peeked at the clock on the wall. "Okay, no kidding. You guys have less than 20 minutes to give me a rundown, I have a trial at the court later."

"That's pretty much it, another parent sold us out to pay for her divorce apparently."

"Did you press charges already?" she said out of habit without looking at them. She took a new file in her desk, wrote the future number of Brittany and Santana's case on the front page.

"No, we just ran here."

"More to talk to our friend before the lawyer, I guess," Santana admitted.

"Oh," Quinn put her pen down. "You need a friend? Here's the friend. How's the milk production going? Is it flowing well already?" she faked seriousness. She wanted to chat, really, but time was flowing and she couldn't afford an impromptu meeting.

The moms giggled, Brittany gazed at her wife with cuddly eyes. Santana made a sufficient face out of childish pouting.

"Care to talk about your future stretch marks then?" Quinn teased.

Santana bent on the desk, taking a serious posture. "So, you were talking about restraining orders?"

"I was indeed," Quinn winked. She couldn't waste more time on joking. "I can come with you to the police station to press charges. Until she gets judged on court, we could at least get a restraining order to protect you and your bug-"

"But if she can't be around us, how is she going to drop her kid to school?" Brittany worried. She despised the woman, yet there was an innocent child in between that deserved an education.

"Oh, I guarantee she'll have to put her kid in another school."

"No! We don't want her son to pay for his mother's foolishness," Santana frowned.

"Oh, but that's not up to me, it's the policy at Evergreen Prep!" Quinn let out. She stood up, opened a closet behind her. She looked for the school's privacy contract. This children's defense lawyer was used to dealing with schools, she knew exactly what kind of school Sophia was in and its every single rule that could protect the children' privacy. She put the said contract on the table and turned it in the mothers' direction. "Look, I'm not joking. _Confidentiality clause: Evergreen Preparatory School pledges to respect a sheer confidentiality towards the families information, their business and/or private life. The contracting party pledged to respect the same confidentiality toward the school and the other families involved in the school's life. In the event that this crucial clause is not scrupulously respected, the definitive expulsion of the student will not be discussable and will come into effect immediately depending on the seriousness of the actions. The school values the importance of keeping the personal business and/or conditions of the parents out of the school's process in order to create the perfect environment to allow the children to blah-blah..." _She said with her most professional tone until she got bored. "I'm not making this up, you signed this, she sighed this. Sucks for her!"

"Poor kid..." Brittany breathed out.

"There are some very good public schools, you know. I heard the government subsidized a lot lately. They can afford desks for the kids now," Quinn joked with a smirk.

"How reassuring," Brittany laughed.

"Seriously, don't think about the kid. He must have a father too, maybe his father will be able to provide some support to get him back in school. Anyway, do we have a name, something I can hold onto to get things started?"

"Hm.. Yeah, Shelley something..." Brittany wondered.

"Shit, I can't remember it either..." Santana nervously tapped on the armrests of her chair.

"It's fine, whatever. The police will contact the school that will give the information. It's just that this way, the police would have been able to contact her today actually instead of tomorrow. We could have the restraining order sooner, that's all."

"But Eddie probably knows!" Brittany startled.

"Right! I'm gonna text him," Santana flipped in her bag to find her phone and text their gay superhero.

"Cool! And you said she's getting a divorce? That's a bad move for her procedure..." Quinn couldn't get rid of her lawyer's reflexes.

"Why?" Brittany inquired.

"No judge will order the father to give a decent pension to a filthy whore like this one seems to be, even if she's in charge of the kid."

"Shelley Caraggio!" Santana let out when her phone finally rang.

"Hold on... _the _Shelley Caraggio, wife of Mark Caraggio?" Quinn froze for a second.

Brittany and Santana shrugged. "We don't really know her."

"She's like, short, brunette, quite aged as if she had her kid in her late thirties?"

"Yeah, kinda," Santana looked at Brittany for confirmation. The latter nodded with another shrug.

"Holy smokes," Quinn jolted. She rushed to grab her phone, tapped the number of one of her colleagues. "You just helped my office win a major case!"

"What?" Brittany frowned.

Quinn gestured to wait for a second. She smiled when her colleague picked up. "Hey, guess what! I have clients in my office right now who are about to press charges against Shelley Caraggio!... Hello? Tom?" she called frowning but the line went dead.

Less than a second later, her office door flung open. The lawyer in a chic suit looked like a child on Christmas morning. "Hi, what's going on?!" He held a gasp when he realized who the clients were.

"We got into a fight with her this morning. She told the press that I'm pregnant and now a horde of paparazzi crowds together in front of our house and at our daughter's school," Santana calmly explained.

"She admitted she did it to pay for her divorce bills," Brittany commented.

"Were there witnesses?" His eyes shone like diamonds.

"Hm... something like the whole school," Brittany said raising a mocking eyebrow.

"You're not joking, right? You're serious?" the lawyer wanted to be sure. This news was sheer gold. "'Cause the hearing at court is planned for tomorrow. Oh, I'm her husband's attorney by the way. We're trying to get full custody for my client."

"Believe me, I'd wish it were a joke..." Santana sighed.

He came closer. "The harm is done but I can assure you that it's gonna be a good lesson learned that will keep others from bothering your family," he said with a kind smile. "I gotta go, but send me your files when you've got them done," he instructed Quinn in his way out.

Quinn beamed. "See? She's dead and you're richer! Which charity do I give the compensation to, this time?" They had fought in court so many times in the past, Quinn knew exactly what her friends/clients would ask for. One thing was sure, Quinn could count on another winning case for her office.

* * *

I hope you like how this story is going! Let me know! :)  
Last chapter before the storm...


	11. The Thunder

"Aaaannnnnd a cup of tea for Mama!" Sophia sang while playing in the middle of the living-room. The scene was perfect - comfortable, idyllic, Santana on her right and Brittany on her left. The doll's tea set was arranged with meticulous care on the carpet and all the guests were in for a marvellous time, sitting on the floor. "Annnnndddd one for Mommy!" Sophia faked filling a cup, nose scrunched in concentration, and then she gave it away to Brittany.

"Thank you, my dear!" Brittany cooed.

"What's the tea flavour, _Lady _Sophia?" Santana emphasized.

"Bubble-gum!" Sophia exclaimed giddily, swaying almost fretfully on her knees and looking the picture of excitement and happiness.

"Very good choice, may I say. Bubble-gum trees are super cute," Santana giggled.

"Cute like me!" Sophia added unnecessarily .

"You're right, cute like you," Brittany ruffled her daughter's hair.

They faked drinking to indulge their happy little girl's pretend scene. They weren't in the mood for jokes and playtime, but their daughter's happiness was worth any and all the acting skills they possessed. Thus they played nevertheless. Here and there the moms shared deep probing glances. The heaviness in their hearts spoke volumes. Yes, they had pressed charges hours earlier. Yes, Shelley Caraggio would get the punishment she deserved. It wouldn't fix the paps' frenzy but still, it would provide a sort of consolation. However, the battle against the paparazzi was going to be nothing compared to how hard it would be to explain to Sophia what was going on without getting her frightened or anxious. The right words, where were they...? They had given everything to make sure Sophia lived like any other child. Now was the time to rock the boat of her peaceful life to reveal how dear and loved she was to mere strangers.

"So baby, what do you want to talk about during your tea party?" Brittany tried awkwardly, fingering the handle of the cup for something to do. Santana was out of the deal on this one. Her anger would manifest too quickly, and her raging words would harm Sophia. Brittany was alone on this one.

"_Lady_ Sophia!" The little girl insisted with a big pout.

"Alright, alright... What do you, _Lady _Sophia, want to talk about?" Brittany corrected herself.

"About rainbows! And glitter!"

Crap. Sophia wasn't helping this along by any stretch of the imagination. But how could Brittany fault that? Sophia was just a bundle of joy, so gleeful and unaware. It was hard to want to endeavour to break Sophia out of that mood with such a delicate and heavy subject.

"You're the Queen of rainbows and glitter; I can't speak about them better than you... But there's something we'd like to talk about with you..."

Sophia levelled her parents with her usual neutral glance. She waited, calm and unaffected.

"Right..." Her daughter's staring was making Brittany feel very uncomfortable. "Hm... Have you seen all these guys that are following us for the last couple of days?"

"You mean the photographers? They have huuuuge cameras!" Sophia breathed out with fascinated eyes. "Can I have one like that for my birthday?"

"No baby, they are adult toys. You'll get one when you're 21 if you want," Santana interjected quickly before Sophia became sidetracked with the idea of the camera and Brittany lost all momentum in the conversation.

"Yay!" Sophia cheered.

"Those cameras they have, they are special cameras..." Brittany edged carefully. "They are meant to take pictures of people like us."

Sophia frowned. People like us? She didn't understand how she, _they_, could be considered as special. "What do you mean?"

"Mama and I are celebrities. We are famous people-"

"Yeah, I know!" Sophia nodded.

"What do you know?" Santana inquired. Never had their daughter mentioned fame, success or being special before.

"I know that other children don't have parents who are on TV. They only watch TV. But you, you watch TV _and_ you are on TV."

God bless their little angel, her perceptiveness and her natural composure. Brittany felt a bit more confident to keep this conversation going.

"You're totally right! What else do we do that other parents don't?"

"Mama! Barry said that people applaud when Mama sings!" Sophia had never seen those full stadiums of people clapping their hands that Barry had described to her. All she knew of them was gossip at school, her friends' comments and possibly some images on TV. Yet it felt distant. She had never seen her mom do anything of that nature with her own eyes, bar the odd nursery rhyme at home.

Santana smiled wide. "Do you know why people applaud when I sing?"

"Because they like it?" Sophia tried with a shrug.

"Well, I hope they do!" Santana grinned.

"Mama is being modest, they love when she sings," Brittany laughed, tugging one of Santana's hands into her hold. "That's why those men with big cameras take pictures of us. It's because a lot of people like what Mama and I do. They want to know what we're up to, what we do everyday."

"Why?"

"Because they like us, they consider us as friends. The problem is that we don't know them, so we don't think it's cool to take pictures of us like that."

Sophia bit her lip, thoughtful. "But why?"

Brittany sighed. She glanced at Santana who looked just as lost. "Hm... Okay, look. At school, who is the person you dislike the most?"

"Only Cassandra. Because she always says that she has prettier hair than me! But she's wrong, her mom always makes her tiny braids but she does it bad, it's not pretty at all. Barry calls her corn cob head!" Sophia defended herself from the adversity with passion.

"I see..." Brittany had hard time fighting off her smile. "But you like the rest of your class, right?" Sophia nodded. "So imagine that Cassandra tries to take pictures of you, and then she gives them to the rest of your class-"

"I don't want her to do that!" Sophia jolted, suddenly frightened.

"She won't, don't worry..." Santana stroked her daughter's hair, eyeing Brittany meaningfully.

"She won't do it. But you know the men outside, with the cameras? They are like Cassandra to us. They want to take pictures of us to give them away."

Sophia pouted. "They're mean!"

"Yes, very. That's why we need to be careful, we need to hide a bit so they can't take those pictures."

Sophia fidgeted eagerly as if they were in for a secret mission, thrilled with herself. "How do we hide?"

The moms relaxed. Sophia seemed far from being traumatized or scared. She seemed quite... excited, actually.

"Hm... Well... You must never show them your face, because this is what they want the most."

"But you have to hide your face too so they don't get you!"

"We'll try! As much as possible, we'll try. If people ask you questions, people you don't know I mean, you must not answer them. Don't talk to them, okay?" Sophia nodded. "And... That's pretty much it, I think."

Brittany looked at Santana, just as perplexed by their daughter's composure. "Yeah, and if you see one that we didn't see, tell us," Santana added. "Sometimes, they hide very well to get pictures. If you think you see one just tell us, sweetie."

"Okay, Mama," Sophia said casually as she resumed playing.

Their little angel. Sophia was nothing but an angel. She was always so blasé and composed, willing to accept anything and move on. She always adapted herself to anything new without being harmed or scared. She was one courageous little girl. They were very proud.

- o -

Sophia learned the lesson very well. On their way to Puck's band's concert, she insisted for Brittany to hold her so she could snuggle and hence, hide her face. She shrunk in her car seat so people couldn't see her over the windows, even if her moms told her the tinted glass was blocking the way just fine. She snuggled in again for the couple of feet separating the car's door from the artists entrance of the concert hall. Thinking that Sophia Pierce could be easy to get was a very presumptuous assumption from the paparazzi. She had her Mama's genes when it came to fierceness.

The little girl let go of her Mommy's arms only when they were safe backstage. "Uncle Puck!" Sophia gasped when she caught sight of him chatting with a sound technician and a couple of stage hands.

"There's the prettiest princess of all!" he joked while pushing his guitar away on his back and dismissing the men who scattered to do their jobs. It must have looked quite a sight to anyone passing, a rocker in leather pants talking about glitter and ponies to an almost 4 year old.

Carla melted visibly beside the couple. "It warms my poor little heart every single time," she whispered, cooing in Santana's ear.

"Just stop taking birth control," Brittany suggested plainly, chewing her gum.

Puck's laughs died away as he hoisted Sophia in mid air and little girl hung there as he froze. "Brittany!"

"What? You'd be happy with a baby, and you guys can't have a baby if she takes birth control."

Santana giggled, hiding her mirth behind her palm. "They're waiting, babe."

Brittany puffed. She turned around Santana and embraced her wife from behind. She let her hands wander, making large round circular gestures across her stomach. "Why would you wait for that?" she beamed tenderly into her wife's neck.

The rest of the band shuffled past on their way to the stage, mocking Puck as he held Sophia aloft on his shoulders now.

"Rock'n'roll, man! Not poo'n'burp!" they called, bracing themselves for Puck's retaliation as they stopped at the first step up to the stage.

Puck put Sophia down, a sour look on his face like a ruffian who'd been told off. He rushed to kiss Carla, his beloved fiancée, like a lucky charm before entering the arena.

"Set the crowd on fire, asshole," Carla laughed through the kiss. She playfully tapped on his butt.

The crowd was yelling and he had his lucky charm. Puck was ready. He waited for the right note to ring and stormed on stage like the rock machine he had always been.

All flustered thanks to her rocker with a tender heart, Carla lead her guests to a dark corner in the first balcony of the concert hall. There, they'd be safe from prying eyes and Brittany immediately hoisted Sophia on her lap. As a little girl who had alway been dragged to sets or concerts, Santana didn't need to tell her to put on the headphones she was pulling out of her bag. Sophia knew that the music would be too loud for her ears. She snatched it from her mother's hands and covered her ears. Now, she was ready to enjoy her uncle's concert with a decent volume that wouldn't make her heart tremble.

Carla was whipped. She only had eyes for her beloved singer. She was a groupie, clapping her hands, dancing on her chair as her man tore up the stage like a beast. Brittany smiled tenderly at her. She had been like that for so long. Crying at Santana's ballads, beaming at her upbeat singles, taking all of the songs to heart. That was a long time ago though. Now Brittany had Sophia on her lap and Santana wouldn't even graze the floor of a stage. A twinge of melancholy set in. How wonderful would she be on stage, with her pregnancy glow, singing her heart out. Brittany wondered when the last time Santana sang had been. Not baby songs, not morning humming... Real singing. With her hands shaking when she reached high notes, her nose scrunching with emotion, her voice vibrating and inducing goosebumps. Brittany remembered it all. It was at the Grammys and she hadn't been there to see it. She had been singing for her but Brittany hadn't been in the mood to listen. She still felt guilty, years later.

Brittany took advantage of the end of a song to whisper in Santana's direction. "I'd like to see you sing one day."

Santana snorted. "I sing all the time! I spent two hours singing a song about a fish swimming through the ocean to get Soph' to sleep last night, remember?"

"I mean real songs, on stage. Like you used to."

Santana shrugged. "I don't know..."

"I thought you were considering starting music again."

"Yeah, recording music. Not doing shows. I don't know if I still can do that."

"Why? You loved doing it."

She shrugged again. "I think... I don't know, I feel like they'd expect me to be who I used to be and that they'd be so disappointed to realize that I've matured, that I'm not playing fake songs anymore."

"Maybe they'd like it better," Brittany smiled.

"Well... I'm not sure I'm willing to know."

"But do you miss it?"

"I don't miss being away from home, that's for sure."

"You're not answering my question. Do you miss singing on stage?"

Santana stared at the ground. "Yeah, sometimes. I miss their faces looking at me with those big smiles and shiny eyes... Yeah, those are good memories. I miss those happy faces."

A new song started. The drums were too loud and subsequently they were forced to stop talking. Brittany stared at her wife for the entirety of the song. Once in a while, Santana looked back at the crowd and smiled with melancholy. Perhaps bits of jealousy were flooding in her heart. Perhaps she was dreaming about taking Puck's place on the stage and have all these people smiling back at her. The concert kept going and Brittany checked her watch as an idea grew in her head.

"Baby, go sit on Mama's lap," Brittany put her daughter down.

"Where are you going?" Santana worried.

"I'm gonna explode if I don't go to the restroom now."

Santana chuckled, grabbing Sophia under the arms to take her up on her lap. Brittany left before Santana could realize she was heading the wrong way. She tiptoed backstage and waited for the show to end. She hid the best she could so nobody could see her. The band soon came to take a rest before the curtain call. She grabbed Puck's arm when he passed by her without seeing her all hidden.

"Wow- oh hey Britt!" he jolted.

"I have a favor to ask you", she said drying her palm in her clothes. Her friend's arm was so sweaty.

"Yeah, now you say that, I have one too. It's the last show before the wedding, I wanted to you know, call Santana on stage to make her sing with me. The last time we sang together, you came back so I don't know... It's like a blessing for me," he tentatively offered. "Do you think she'd do it, with the... you know?" he pointed at his stomach.

Brittany's heart "aww" 'ed. "I doubt she'd agree but if I have to drag her on stage, I'd do it," she giggled. She headed back to the audience.

"Brittany! What about your favor?" He called.

"Forget about it!" she beamed. Fate was loving her right now. It appeared that everybody wanted to get a certain brunette back to treading the boards. She skipped with light steps back to her seat.

"Were you fishing in the toilet bowl or what?" Santana joked, considering how long Brittany had been gone. "You missed the last song!"

"Oh really?! Darn!" she faked disappointment as the whole audience was applauding to make the band come back.

Carla joined the crowd and yelled with all her lungs, deafening everybody around. Santana burst down laughing. "Damn girl, it's alright, he's gonna be home tonight!"

"I love curtain calls!" Carla admitted all thrilled. "He always does super sweet songs, my teddy bear's heart in a boor!"

"Oh Lord, your marriage bed is going to be worse than Hiroshima on your wedding day..."

Brittany snorted at her wife's comment. She remembered how they had sex on every single piece of furniture in the room on their own wedding day, even the carpet had met their moans.

"If we manage to reach the bedroom," Carla laughed.

They got distracted by the band coming back, Puck as the great Alpha of the pack. As his tradition went for the curtain call, he had traded his electric guitar for an acoustic one. He dragged a stool to the center of the stage under the audience's gazing and applauding. Calmly, he dragged another, right by his.

"I'd like to call on stage someone very special to me," he explained talking close to the mic.

Santana pinched Carla, convinced to the bone he wanted to introduce his fiancée to the world. Carla frowned, he had said nothing to her about that.

"One of my dearest friends besides those dudes," he joked peeking back at his bandmates.

They both froze while Brittany beamed. She tickled Sophia, quiet way to tell her to come back on her lap and leave her Mama alone. Puck walked to the other side of the stage to get a second mic.

"Lopez, bring yo' ass in here!" he called, handing the extra mic in her direction. Gasps escaped the rows. "Yes, Santana Lopez is in the room and she's gonna come on stage to sing with me!"

Santana panicked. "No fucking way!" She clasped Sophia in her arms, she wouldn't leave this seat, she would just hide behind her daughter.

"Come on Santana, make a Puckausaurus happy! Come on guys, help me!" he called to the audience. "Santana! Santana! Santana!" he repeated until the whole crowd would call for her as well.

"No damn fucking way!" Santana was petrified. "You knew about this?!" She accused Brittany.

"Go!" Brittany shouted over the deafening noise of the crowd calling for her wife. She forcefully grabbed Sophia from her embrace.

"No! Not like this!" she showed her bump. For once, she hadn't even tried to hide it, her shirt was sticking to her skin, her jacket was too short to hide something. She was supposed to come here only to listen to the concert and hide in the dark. No fucking way she was going in the spotlight with her four .

"You won't be able to hide for much longer anyway! Now or next week, what's the difference! Go!" Brittany cheered.

"You sang your last song with me, right before you wed. So yeah Lopez, come sing my last song before I tie the knot myself," Puck negotiated with tender eyes. "For me!"

Santana died. Brittany was insisting with her huge smiles, Carla with her thrilled ones. Even Sophia beamed.

"Mama, please?" Sophia, who'd never seen her mother on the stage before, added her little comment.

"Come on, love! For Puck and Soph!" Brittany stressed.

"Please sing, Mama! Please?" Sophia just kept hitting on her heart.

Santana stared at her daughter and her sparkling eyes. After all, Brittany had shot a movie for Sophia, what had Santana done for her? She wanted to dig a hole and hide in it but well... _For my babydoll_, she thought. Sighing, she stood up.

"She's coming, yeah!" Puck laughed on stage and the crowd was set on fire. "Don't stumble in the stairs! Your wife's gonna rip my head off if something happens to you," he joked for the fans' greatest delight.

All the fans drummed with their feet, tapped on their seats to cheer the long time gone superstar. Santana took a path down the balcony, almost hiding under her hand. She had hard time realizing that she was going back on the boards after years of deserting. When her foot grazed the stairs up to the stage, when she was softly more and more in the spotlight, the audience cried. Some yelled, some had heart attacks, not to mention those chanting her name. Santana didn't dare peek at the crowd. She walked to Puck with determination.

"You're gonna pay for this betrayal," she threatened too low for anybody else to hear.

"Try me," he laughed. He grabbed her hand, raised it high forcing her to turn around to face the audience.

Santana was now obviously forced to see the crowd. Its shiny eyes and people yelling. Santana swore some were... crying, those who believed this day would never come. Their idol finally back in music life, even for the four minutes a song would last. Four minutes were still better than nothing. And that was exactly what the fans got over the past five years, _nothing_.

She suddenly realized how much she had missed those weeping faces. She had thought she did, but actually, it made sense. She was craving for them. With years passing by, she had forgotten the power those little strangers had on her. She was loving each one of them like a mother loved her child. She wanted to protect them, make them happy.

Grinning, She pulled on her friend's arm. "Santana and _guests_," she whispered.

"You're sure? Guest-_s_?" She nodded. _"Santana Lopez and guests, ladies and dudes!"_

Some fans almost fainted when she stroked her bump, leaving no doubt that it wasn't a joke, that they had heard well that there was more than a baby in there. Santana stared at the first row, some fans were just hysterical, pulling on their own hair, crying their heart out as they were recording with their phones. Her fans were still there. Her simple presence was enough for them. If she had doubts before, Santana now knew with striking accuracy that her fans would keep following her anywhere, anytime and for the rest of her life.

"Santana?" Puck was offering a mic.

She caught it with her heart light. A weight she seemed to have carried for way too long was disappearing. Fears to see the nightmare happening again had kept her away from singing. But now everything was different. She was married, she had kids, a well organized life with a real home. It was light years from the scared woman she had been when her singing career had been at its best. She felt so much stronger, with the love of her family keeping her protected and confident. It was decided. Once the babies would decide they had snuggled enough in her womb, she would have her comeback to the stage.

The first notes of the song Puck wanted to sing resonated, his band playing them with great talent. How good did it feel to sing again. Memories of the last time they had been together flashed in their both minds. Last time, he had been the guitar master giving the melody for Santana to pour her despair on words. He had been the only person on Earth able to accompany her, her extreme sadness. Real friends, that what they were. She lost her eyes in his, and read his happiness. His pupils were drooling with bliss. Marriage, babies... It was obvious he was planning his family life, the one he had seeked for so long. He had found the right girl to travel through this journey with him. He deserved it, and Santana couldn't be prouder of her friend. Yes, singing together was just perfect to share what their inner pride was keeping them from expressing without lame passive-aggressive jokes.

When the song died, when the notes faded, Santana felt emptied. She stared at the crowd, out of breath. She peeked at the balcony and the wide smiles of her beloved family and friends. Brittany was holding Sophia up so the little girl could bend on the balcony and see everything. She was applauding, like all people around, yet those little hands were clapping just for her. Of course Sophia had heard about the "Santana Lopez" legend, yet all she knew was Mama Pierce. Sophia's eyes were shooting zillions stars. She seemed so proud of her Mama, all those people applauding her, loving her as much as she did. The pieces of Santana's life and music were just interlocking even more. It felt like she had just finished the puzzle of her life. All the pieces had a place to be. She peeked at Brittany behind. There was no need to talk, Brittany had already guessed the storm happening in her heart.

Puck pulled her into a hug, the latter also all flustered by his new life in the making. What a special moment this was. The band joined them and they all bowed together. Santana held on her stomach. It was clear, after the twins' birth, she'd be singing for her wife and kids, to see those same stars falling from the balcony in the shape of torrents.

Winking, Puck dragged Santana on a walkabout. They went to the very edge of the stage, took the stairs down and went to hold hands with fans. She left the band go first, contemplating the scene with loving eyes.

"Santana, I love you!", "We love you!", "Santana!", people screamed. She melted. She caught sight of a girl, looking much more like a weepy mess than anything else. The fan was suffocating with sobs, her eyes begging her quiet idol to come at her rescue.

"Aww, girl," Santana came all smile in the girl's direction. The fan literally fell apart in tears. Santana pulled her into a hug through the barriers. "Shh... Shh..."

"I love you so m-m-much..." The fan sobbed, hugging tight.

"Aww, I love you too!" She tapped on her shoulders and parted a bit. She pulled away and felt stuck. Laughing, Santana untied her necklace that had stuck to the girl's jacket. "I'm keeping that, it's my favorite necklace," Santana joked under the fan's amazed stare.

The fan dried her tears with the back of her hand. "So you're really pregnant?"

Santana chuckled, "Yes, I am."

The fan bit her lip, tempted to push it, blown away by the emotion of her idol's sweetness. "You're expecting twins? Since you know... He said "guests"..."

Santana smiled, not giving an answer. _Guests_, that could stand for two, three, four and more. Was she ready for a very big announcement with all the details...

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be intrusive!"

"Can you keep a secret?" Santana offered all smiles. The fan nodded frantically. Santana bent, whispered in her ear, "they're twins."

The fan hesitated between crying torrents or grinning from ear to ear. "Congrats!"

"Thank you!"

"Boys or girls?"

Santana laughed, "Take your chance, try to guess."

The fan giggled, silly. "Boys, I think they're boys. Am I right?"

Santana grinned. She scrunched her nose for a second. That would be the only answer the fan would get.

- o -

Brittany's mind was rushing like a mosquito on a summer night. She was messy that morning, she couldn't do anything properly. Santana had to go after her for everything. Close the toothpaste's cap back, put away the wet towel she had forgotten on their bed, put the ketchup bottle back in the fridge since no, they didn't need ketchup to put on the waffles they were having for breakfast. Santana said nothing, smiled like she did every morning, and fixed on her own all the little things Brittany had left on her patch through the house.

Once wouldn't hurt, Brittany spent their breakfast reading over and over again the mail that had put her in this state of mind. She deciphered on her phone the same lines endlessly. Her movie's turnover was making her head dizzy. There were too many zeros, too many numbers for her to assimilate. She just couldn't believe she was the one behind those numbers, the results of her movie on screen for a whole month. She blinked again and again at the numbers combinations on the little screen of her phone.

"_Mi amor_, it'll still be here after breakfast," Santana softly called.

Brittany raised an eyebrow. "Hm?"

"Just take ten minutes to eat with us," she smiled tenderly. "I like breakfast, it's a sacred moment of the day."

"Oh! Sorry," Brittany realized what she had been doing.

Undoubtedly, Brittany wasn't her usual self that morning. The numbers freaked her out, the meeting she'd be going right after breakfast freaked her out. She didn't know what she could say to a full table of PR's supposedly there to discuss the said results. All she thought she was able to let out was: "I swear, I didn't plan on things happening this way."

Brittany immediately put her phone down, and resumed eating with renewed vigor. She filled her stomach with mouthfuls and mouthfuls of waffles, probably faster than what her body could manage. Sophia was watching her do. The little girl found her Mommy's speed fascinating. She didn't even bother eating, watching her was much more entertaining than her own waffles cooling away in her place. Jaw dropping and eyes wide open, she stared.

"Babydoll, eat. It's gonna get cold," Santana brought their daughter back on Earth. The little girl took her fork back and stuffed it in her mouth without ever letting go of her stare.

Once finished, Brittany didn't wait for her family to empty their plates. She put her own away and served herself a whole mug of coffee she planned on drinking in one single gulp out of stress. Away, she forgot how hot it was when just out of the coffee machine. She burned her tongue.

"What the... Damn' you coffee machine!"

Santana laughed. "Babe, come here."

"I swear, it just served me an erupting volcano!" the blonde complained.

Santana offered her hand, calling her silently. Pouting, Brittany obeyed to the quiet order. She grabbed her hand while blowing fresh air in her mug.

"What did we agree on when you're panicking 'cause of your sudden fame?" Santana asked.

Brittany sat around the table like a child obeying. "That I shouldn't be panicking, that I need to breath and just focus on the fact that you're proud of me and that I'm actually making you super happy," she told her lesson.

Santana smiled, comfy in her chair. "And?"

"That the movie is a metaphor about our kids, so its success only proves how much I love my kids."

"Good. And what are you doing right now?"

"I... hm."

"You're panicking again."

"Hm... No, it's just the meeting ya know, it's stressing me a bit... hm,' Brittany fidgeted in her seat, uneasy.

"Yes, you _are_ panicking again," Santana stated with her most tender smile.

Brittany got very clearly why Santana was trying to calm her down. Yet it was feeling unfair. She just couldn't calm down when life was all upside down like that. It was against nature itself. She needed to freak out, to purge her mind from all that stress.

"Britt, just breathe, chillax..."

"Easy to say," Brittany let out, quite bitter.

Santana grabbed her hand, "come on, breathe with me!" She inhaled a large gulp of air. She took her time, enjoyed all the oxygen in her lungs. She exhaled. "It feels good, isn't it?"

Brittany stared. No, breathing wasn't near helping her burning mind. "Babe, I appreciate your help but I think breathing is not my thing."

"Oh, don't underestimate breathing techniques, that helps!"

Brittany shook her head sadly. Santana sighed. She knew what would help her the most, she knew it too well.

"Mi amor, I love you, you know that, but you need to find a way to calm yourself down on your own." Brittany pouted. "I can't do it every time you panic."

Brittany pleaded with big seemingly wet eyes. "Just once more."

"Brittany... Not again! It's at least the tenth time since yesterday!"

"_Please_," Brittany almost cried.

Shrugging, Santana stood up. She lowered the waistband of her trousers to undercover her bump. She lifted her shirt. She stayed there, in front of Brittany. Finally, the blonde relaxed. Brittany was satisfied. She threw an arm around her wife's waist, let her other hand wander on the round stomach. She put her ear against the skin.

"You're unbelievable..." Santana complained as her wife's smile was growing by any minute.

"Shh... You're gonna scare them, let them move for Mommy," Brittany cooed.

"Mama, are you a cuddly blanket?" Sophia innocently asked from her seat.

Santana laughed. "Apparently-"

"Shht!" Brittany growled. She resumed stroking in round circles hopefully waiting for the babies to kick. "You need to relax, they kick better when you're relaxed."

Lord, Santana loved her wife but the demoniac leech she had turned into was getting on her nerves. There was no problem to let her feel the babies of course, yet it started to become Brittany's favorite way to escape in her bubble when life was too hard. And she was running into that bubble each time her heart was on the verge of collapsing. It made Santana feel like a vessel. The tool the babies were using to travel to their destination. Lately, there was no Santana, no "woman of my life"'s, no "my hot piece of wife"'s. Only "the mother of my kids"s were left to hear. Her attractiveness disappeared more and more by every minute. Way to relax when she had Brittany glued to her stomach...

"I'm gonna relax the day you listen to them just because you want to, not because you need it to reassure yourself, babe..."

"You can cuddle Mr Mango, Mommy!" Sophia suggested with her high-pitched voice.

Santana giggled. "What a great idea, babydoll! See, you could get some love from our dear bubble of fur?" She pointed at the sleepy dog in his basket in a corner of the kitchen.

Brittany parted for a second. "How can you compare our kids to our dog?"

"I'm not, it's just... I feel like an ultrasound machine," Santana admitted from the bottom of her heart. Brittany parted again and sighed. Perhaps she indeed had been a little too clinging since her movie was out. "I'd really like us to have our moments for the babies, like real moments when we're both in the mood to share fluffiness. You know, make it romantic and sweet, not just because you're sad..."

Brittany stood up. She embraced her wife tight in her arms. She stroked her cheek lovingly and pulled her into a deep kiss to make up for her behavior.

"Yuck..." Sophia put her fork in her place and jumped off from her chair with a disgusted chair. "I'm going to play in my room until you're finished," she let out from the top of her 3' 4".

Chuckling, they stared at the little girl taking a path through the kitchen with her proud face looking right in front with determination. Brittany snuggled.

"I'm sorry Santana. I'll try not to stick around so much."

Santana bit her lip. "I didn't say that! You can stick, it's just... I don't know, not like that..."

Brittany smiled. "I get it. Come," she winked, taking her hand.

"Where?"

"To our romantic and sweet bubble," Brittany beamed. She lead her out of the kitchen to the living-room.

"You... You want to bang me _now?_ Alert reminder, you have a meeting in an hour and Sophia needs to be at school before we start..."

Brittany laughed. "Don't worry, I know about that."

Letting her chuckles die, she let go of Santana. She went to grab the rolled carpet Santana used to practise her childbirth classes exercises. She unrolled it on the ground and suggested Santana to sit on it with a lovey-dovey glance.

"You want me to show you breathing techniques?" Santana frowned.

"Just sit, my love."

"Okay... But what are you doing?" Santana wondered out loud as she took her usual lotus position on her carpet.

"I'm taking five minutes to take care about you," Brittany grinned. She sat right behind Santana and started to massage her wife's shoulders. "I'm sorry, I really am. I didn't think it was bugging you."

"Don't be! I mean, it's okay but just not all the time..."

"Still. Is there anything else bothering you, with me or anything else?" Brittany inquired with her most tender voice, determined to empty her wife's heart.

"No, nothing else... Hm..." She relaxed.

She peeked by the window while her wife's expert fingers on her shoulders were making her softly sway. Outside, the wind was blowing and the dark clouds were threatening. Winter was on its way. Santana loved winter, it meant Sophia's birthday, and then Christmas. This year, there would be her baby-shower, and they would probably spend a lot of time snuggling under the covers to protect themselves from the cold. There would be the Golden Globes and the Oscars, where she was convinced that Brittany would get some bling. Yes, very peaceful times were about to come.

Santana breathed happily. "It's gonna rain today."

"Yup, I'm surprised it's not pouring already."

"We should get Sophia a new raincoat, hers is a bit too small. I think I'm just gonna drop her at school, pay Carla a visit at the Studio and then do some shopping."

Brittany frowned. Suddenly, she realized how she had been driving Santana everywhere lately. Santana hadn't touched a wheel in days. The only reason that she was driving her to school that morning was that Brittany couldn't, required at the same time on the other side of town. It bugged Brittany to let her drive, but in the meantime... Santana had just made somehow clear that she wanted some independence as a woman. On this one, Brittany would have to shut it.

"Let me know if you want me to join you later, after my meeting," she offered what sounded like a good compromise.

"Sure!" Santana turned her head around to smile wide to her wife. She gave her a light kiss. "Britt..."

Santana stopped the blonde's hands right away. She grabbed them to pull them on her stomach. Brittany grinned. Small dance steps were agitating Santana's bump. It was waving under the hard skin, waving under Brittany's fingers. The latter melted.

"You're right..." she whispered.

"About what?"

"It's much better when we feel them like that. Together."

Santana chuckled. She watched the first drops wetting the windows as Brittany cooed in her neck for long minutes. Each time the blonde left a kiss on her shoulder, she smiled a little wider. These kinds of moments, it was making her heart write melodies. The fantasy stopped when the clock rang the time for Brittany to leave for her meeting and Santana to go to school. Flustered, they resumed their routine with light minds. When the household was ready to leave home, they had a little pinch in the heart.

Brittany sighed, fiddling in a big bowl in the entrance with all their keys. "You should take my car."

Santana frowned. "Why?"

"I went to change the tires last week, remember? With that weather, it'd be safer for you," she explained handing over the keys.

Santana silently mocked, somehow commenting the fact that never, Brittany would allow herself some time off from worrying. "It's fine, babe."

"The car seat is in _my car_..." Brittany insisted with high-pitched playful tones. "Plus my car is bigger, which means you can go a bit faster and still be safe..."

Santana bit her lip, tempted. "You won't be mad at me if I drive all around the city like super fast?" Santana pushed.

"Nope, I told you I changed the tires. I took special winter ones, you can torpedo on the roads in rain or snow, I still have to check about tornadoes though," Brittany confirmed all smiles.

Santana almost jumped to catch the keys Brittany was making sway in the air. For once, the fact that Brittany wasn't super protective and wasn't demanding she drive at the speed of a snail, the opportunity had to be taken with no second thoughts.

"Soph, hurry before Mommy changes her mind," Santana pushed Sophia through the open front door, even if the little girl hadn't finished putting her coat, one arm in, one arm out. "Go, go, go!"

"But Mama, my bag!" Sophia called.

"Where's your bag?!" Santana was startled.

"There..." Brittany giggled while taking the bag on the ground inside the entrance and passed it through the open door.

Santana snatched it, like a lioness biting her prey, and pushed Sophia in the elevator's direction. "Push the button, babydoll! Run!"

Brittany laughed. "Love you!" she called in the hallway.

"Love you too!" Santana barely had time to answer back before the elevator doors closed.

"Why are we running, Mama?"

"Long story short, Mommy just gave me a super cool gift," Santana said all thrilled. "We gotta rush before she wants to take it back."

She was already hearing the sound of the engine speeding up, the motor growling its strength. She already pictured herself touching the wheel like an eighth world's wonder, its leather and how easy it was to make it turn. She was so ready to speed on the roads and actually have a ball. How good did it sound to lose the paparazzi thanks to high speed, all hidden behind Brittany's car dark tinted windows. Babies aside, it'd finish to set this day into sheer happiness.

Sophia watched her mom cooing at the driver seat with big eyes. Santana just couldn't stop singing while adjusting her seat to make her bump fill the void between her and the wheel very comfortably. Plugging in the key sounded orgasmic, considering how Santana was drumming with her feet all excited. She drove the safest possible until she reached the school. She rushed to walk Sophia to her classroom, put a kiss on her head. And then... she was away in a dreamland of driving skills. She escaped the school's private courtyard under the flashes of paparazzi, braving the rain to get a picture of the sacrosanct singer. Clouds of scooters followed the back of her car like bees smelling honey. They'd be risking it all to get a single picture, their scooter trying to come forward to get a peek at Santana's front window, the only one not tinted.

Santana grumbled. She was angry at them, yet deep down she was happy to get a chance to do what she liked best, yelling at them. The rain was pouring, and Santana's engine was the only one sticking to the concrete safely. The paparazzi's scooters were wriggling under the storm. At a stop, she opened her window just a few inches to talk to them.

"I get you want pictures but you're fucking risking your life here! It's pouring rain, go home!" she called to whoever was listening.

"Boys or girls!", "Santana open your window, show us your best smile!", "are they kicking hard?" Comments flew under the sound of drops falling.

The traffic light became green and she started the car again. A scooter passed right in front of her, almost bumping into her car. She braked right in time.

"Are you serious!" she fulminated.

She drove to the side of the road where they couldn't surround her every side. She flipped through her bag on the passenger seat, found her sunglasses. Not that she needed them, but it was out of the question the paparazzi could get a clear picture of her. She opened her window a bit wider.

"Hey, hey! I'm being serious here! Do your thing if you want but what you're doing is fucking dangerous right now! For me and for you! Leave room for my car!"

"Santana, how far are you?", "Santana, why Brittany doesn't carry this time?", "Can't she carry?", "Santana this", "Santana that" kept hitting her window as the dance of scooters just got riskier by every minute.

"For God's sake, make room!"

"Are you afraid to get into an accident because you might lose a baby?"

"What the fuck?!" Santana's anger reached another level.

She unconsciously stroked her bump and the light flutters tickling the surface of her skin. She put her both hands on the wheel, focusing hard to find a way through the mess without hurting anyone. She bent to see clearly through the rainy fog and the drops falling like waterfalls on the front window.

"If you leave me no choice, I'm gonna drive my way out and it'd be too bad for you if one of you get hurt in the way," she threatened.

"Come on Santana, just one picture! Be nice!"

A scooter crossed her way again, a flash reflecting itself in every drop, blinding her.

"Does someone need to be killed so you understand how risky this is?" she started to be actually scared.

"Santana, twins or triplets!"

Another paparazzi almost grabbed the handle of her car. Santana had enough. She closed the window and tried to park to call the police. Before she could turn, a loud sound of metal crashing rang outside. She barely had time to see that a scooter had bumped into another car before the car went all crazy slipping on the soaking wet road. Its headlights were coming right at her. Santana turned the wheel as fast as she could but it was too late. The car's front came crashing right on her door.

Everything went silent. Santana didn't know where she was anymore. She fought to open her eyes. All she could see was the blood flowing from her stomach, the broken door crashing into her side. A piece of metal was cutting the perfect round shape of her bump. The pain was so intense that even her body didn't know how to deal with it. She felt cold, as if all her blood was deserting. She let out what felt like her last breath. She fainted.

- o -

At this particular moment all across town, Brittany shivered.

* * *

I'll post Chapter 12 in a couple of weeks, I'm taking a lil vacation to write faster! I will of course answer your questions on tumblr if you have one. (You can also send the hate, I dig both xD ) I hope you still enjoyed the chapter! :) xo


	12. The Distress

"She's unconscious!" a paramedic yelled as she was checking Santana's heartbeat through the broken window.

Her co-worker zigzagged through the debris to reach her. "Can you see injuries?"

"I can't see anything through the airbag! Hold on," she shouted over the noisy mess of paramedics working on victims stuck in damaged cars and scooters.

She groped around the inside of the broken door to see if she could open it. She soon realized that the inside had broken and folded hard on itself, making the task near impossible. There was no room between the door and Santana. The paramedic's eyes kept jumping from the mess of metal and leather and back to Santana and the shallow rise and fall of her chest. Her fingers felt flesh where there wasn't supposed to be any and she grit her teeth, praying that they'd get the victim out of this metal death-trap.

Her co-worker nudged her slightly, had hovering of her shoulder to see the extent of the damage. "Can we open the door?"

"No, it's way too broken inside. We have to saw it."

"Oh man... I'll get help," her co-worker sighed, turning heel and trying to flag down an unoccupied fireman.

Through the window, the paramedic tried to push the airbag away, grunting through the effort until it deflated. She checked her patient routinely each time she was moving something around her or near her, looking for signs of aggravation or discomfort. Sometimes Santana would groan and the paramedic would try to talk her calm, preparing her before they'd start sawing the door. She rushed to the untouched side of the car and climbed in gingerly when the fireman revved the saw and began to cut. Santana was hearing everything, tiny subconscious whimpers slipping out of her at the noise and the paramedic tried to reassure her quietly. However scared she was, her body seemed to refuse to move. She couldn't open her eyes, she couldn't move her fingers. The sound of metal ripping apart, her door ripping apart, deafened her. She wanted to scream for everybody to stop because the trembling was hurting her even more, but her lips were sealed. When the paramedics and firemen pulled the door away, the piece of metal that had been jammed up against her felt even more painful now that they were pushing against it.

"Keep her still while I check how deep it is," she ordered someone, anyone, hoping her order would be heeded.

She bent over her patient like a gymnast, hearing her bones crack as they tightened against each other, trying to stoop low in the small space. She began to pull at Santana's clothes to see where the piece was exactly stabbing.

"Okay, I can see now. The piece is in her lower ribs."

"How far?" someone asked. She didn't look up.

"I don't know..."

"Do you think we can pull her out with it?" her co-worker said worriedly.

"We'll have to, I can't work like that," she admitted almost to herself. "Nothing else seems broken though, legs and back seem clear!"

"We need help!" the man shouted to another paramedic.

Each second was crucial. All the policemen on site were trying to keep the paparazzi at bay and to the best of their abilities. Intrigued by the ruffle, cars were stopping to see why so many cameras were pointing at a broken car. The police team tightened their group so no one could see the the rescue work as another paramedic rushed through them, running from another truck.

"What do I do?" he said breathlessly.

"We need to take her out, take her legs!" the paramedic in the car instructed. Three on Santana, they fought the mess of airbags and broken metal to get a decent angle to pull her out.

"Oh fuck, she really is pregnant," one of her paramedics breathed out when only Santana's legs were left to be pulled out. She scowled darkly at him. She couldn't care less about the gossips. All she cared was about the fact that they couldn't give Santana any painkillers, any medication that could keep the pain away. And, with the piece of metal right in her stomach, she feared the worst.

They put the victim on a stretcher and carried her through as fast as they could to hide in their ambulance from prying eyes and rain. There, they realized how bad the accident really was as Santana softly regained consciousness.

"Ma'am, can you hear me? Can you talk or squeeze my hand?" The paramedic said softly, holding onto her hand hoping Santana would react.

"Hrm..." Santana grumbled, eyes blinking over and over again.

"Ma'am, I'm gonna take care of you 'til we get to the Hospital," she said slowly and assuredly, moving her head each time Santana did, trying to garner and keep her focus. She checked her pupils, looking for commotion symptoms. "Do you remember what happened?"

"The... scoo-... scooter..."

The paramedic breathed out in relief. At least she seemed logical. "That's right, a scooter made a car crash on you. Can you tell me where it hurts?"

"M-my... stomach..." Santana gasped. "_My babies_..." Her injured hand, covered in blood and scratches from when she had tried to protect herself, moved to touch. The paramedic stopped the motion; Santana would be better off not knowing the reality of the situation.

"Don't touch, I need to clean it first," she said firmly, going through a mental checklist as she finished her examination. She carefully inspected the piece of metal sticking out crudely from Santana's marred skin. She tried to identify where on the door it could have come from. She had an idea, she wasn't sure the piece was actually as deep as it seemed to be. "Does it hurt elsewhere?" Santana shook her head. "Good! Tell me more about you, who are you? What's your name?" she asked lightly, all the while considering whether or not she could pull out this damn piece of metal.

"Sant-... ana Pierce."

"Alright, nice to meet you Santana. Are you married? I can see you have nice wedding rings," she added this with a small smile. She decided to go for it and made a diversion by keeping talking.

"Ye-..s"

"What is your spouse's name?" she tightened her jaw. She caught the piece of metal, ready to take it out as soon as Santana answered her.

"Brittan- _UGH,_" Santana trembled when the piece left her body.

"I didn't hear her name, can you repeat it?" she remained calm, determined.

She disinfected and bandaged up the wound to lessen the bleeding, and checked the piece. It was less scary than expected, yet Santana had quite a serious injury. She couldn't stop shaking, feeling hurt and cold.

"_My babies_..." Santana cried out, not even audible, lost in her worry and pain.

"I didn't hear your wife's name, tell me her name," the paramedic insisted quite forcefully. Santana couldn't answer. Her body felt like it was ripping apart at the seams, felt like it was burning her alive. "Come on Santana, her name, give me her name!"

"Brittany-... _ugh._.." Santana wanted to turn around and curl, hiccup out of throbbing pain.

"Her full name, give me her full name," she demanded afraid to lose Santana. "Come on, tell me!"

"Britt-...any Pi-... Pier... Call h-... " her voice trembled.

The paramedic frowned, cleaning the wound. "I'm sorry?"

"Call- her... 212 7..." Santana breathed out harshly, focused on giving the right number and clearly.

"212...779..." she repeated. She grabbed a pen in her pocket, wrote the number on the first paper she found in the back of the ambulance. _"Vincent!" _she called out through the doors left ajar.

He stuck his head in, careful not to open it too wide so no picture could be taken.

She handed the sheet. "It's her wife's number. Call her."

"What do I tell her, you know... She's gonna ask," he whispered worriedly, nodding at the victim's obvious pregnant stomach.

"I don't know..." she mouthed. He'd have to figure something on his own. He closed the door, Santana should not hear such conversations. The paramedic focused back on Santana. "So tell me more about your baby. How far are you?"

"18 weeks. I'm expecting..." Santana fought the fog in her mind to give as much details as possible. Yet it was hard to speak.

"Yeah, I can see that. Boy or girl?"

"Twins..."

_Oh crap_, the paramedic thought. It wasn't the strong six months old baby she was expecting considering how round her stomach was. They still were rather small babies, fragile ones. She still was in the miscarriage window. And now with this shock that window would be wide open.

"Okay... Boys or girls?"

"They're...-"

Vincent opened the door again. "It's good for me, can we leave now?"

"Yeah, I'm ready!" she answered back before he closed the doors with two forceful shoves to make sure they wouldn't open while driving. "We're taking you to the Hospital now, okay? It's gonna be alright!"

"Where are you taking me? My dad works at... _ugh._.."

"Don't worry, we know about that!" She said around a smile. "They told us when we took the call. Don't worry Santana, your wife is on her way, you'll be with your father in less than five minutes."

"I can't feel my babies, they're not moving," Santana moaned, frightened and thrashing her head about.

"Babies don't move all the time, you know that," the paramedic said gently, holding Santana down and securing her with a neck brace just in case.

Santana's face lost the very last colors it had. Her features were contorting with suffering and sadness. Her worry was taking over.

"Santana, what's your daughter's name?" she said a bit too loudly than needed. She wanted to make sure Santana would stay with her. _Had _to make sure Santana would stay with her.

"Sophia..."

"You have good taste!" she said brightly, her voice unnaturally high in its aspiration to fake cheerfulness. "I'm called Sophie! Why did you chose Sophia, Sophie's so much classier," the paramedic joked with a wink to try to ease her patient.

"I wanted Sophie but-... _ugh_..."

"But what?"

"Brittany thought it-... it wasn't sounding Latin enough so she put an a at the end..."

"Fair enough! Is she nice? I was a super calm toddler myself," Sophie kept talking, peeking once in a while through the inside window to see if they still were far from the hospital or not.

"She's... an-. _Ugh_..." Santana cried out suddenly, trying in vain to curl up.

"Shh, we're almost there, hold on! 3 minutes max. Is Sophia calm? Does she behave?"

"An angel..."

Sophie smiled. "Maybe she'll be the next generation of paramedics, who knows!"

"I'd... like that... Sophie, my stomach hurts..." Santana weeped.

The paramedic frowned, compassion shining in her troubled eyes. "I know but I can't give you painkillers before a check-up on your babies."

"I know... I don't care ab-... _Ugh_.. I don't care about me, are they okay? Are my babies okay?" Tears started to flow, running into her matted hair.

"Your injury isn't very deep," Sophie avoided her patient's stare.

"Answer me..."

Santana's face was hard to see. Her tanned healthy colour was a distant memory, she was as white as a sheet with large grey bruises and shadows marking her face, eyes drooping in sadness. Sophie hesitated. She wanted to be honest but Santana wasn't a normal patient. She knew this face, this person, her life, her daughter's name, her wife. She had seen Santana cry, smile, laugh on TV. Santana wasn't the stranger she was used to. It was harder not to be empathic.

"Answer me, are they gonna be okay?" Santana cried.

Sophie's jaw tightened. "I can't tell without an ultrasound."

The ambulance slowed noticeably as they finally reached the hospital. Sophia barely had time to breathe before the doors flung open, Jorge leading the army of nurses waiting for Santana.

"Left ribs broken, injury in left upper stomach, no commotion. The door broke on her", Sophie soberly explained as the other paramedic helped to lower Santana, stretcher and all, onto the tarmac.

"Santana _mi'ja_, it's me," Jorge welcomed her with a tight smile, already pushing her inside. He saw where the wound was, a mess of blood and dirty clothes, and instantly felt like he'd been punched right in the heart.

"My babies..." she said hoarsely while grabbing her dad's arm.

He pushed her into the hospital without a word. Just like Sophie, he couldn't promise anything. The injury was so badly placed. He couldn't afford words of hope when his head was already considering the worst. He ground his teeth over and over again, the only thing he could do to ease his own mind. He couldn't stand the idea that maybe, he'd have to announce the worst to his own daughter.

"Go look for Ferguson in Obstetrics," Jorge ordered one of the nurses trailing after the stretcher. Santana had a team of nurses and doctors hovering over her stretcher as they wheeled at top speed to an unoccupied OR Jorge had ordered to be prepped.

"Dr Lopez, we admitted three deliveries in the past hour, I think all the obstetricians are busy."

"I don't care about what you think, don't question me! Drag her here. She needs her!"

The nurse understood that this was an important matter but she hesitated in her own mind, unsure on whether it would be wise to disturb the very expected doctor. Jorge saw this and, If he had been allowed to, he would have slammed her against the wall for her silent but brief refusal. Thankfully she nodded and turned on her heel before he could do anything.

- o -

Annette beamed. "Brittany, you have to face the truth. We're gonna be nominated."

"Don't say that," Brittany said quietly. She was contemplating the results of her movie over and over in her own mind. She rubbed her own arms, feeling cold despite the heater.

On the table in front of her magazines, articles, printed tweets and blog posts all said the same thing. Around this collection, the whole marketing team was reunited to share the same information: they'd run on the Golden Globes and probably the Oscars like motherfuckers. Nobody but Brittany had doubts about that. Only the blonde was the last to swallow the pill.

"Let's not make any assumptions until the nominees lists are released, please," Brittany addressed the entirety of the team, frowning softly into thin air and wondering why she felt so sick to her stomach.

"Brittany, come on! Be happy! Our movie's a freaking hit and we're about to win the first place in sold tickets! And it's like you don't care, like you're not happy about it," Annette complained. The director's calm and modest spirit was driving her crazy. All she wanted to do was celebrate and breathe a huge sigh of relief now that they were finally reaping the rewards.

"Of course, I am! But I don't know how I am supposed to react to this. I don't know how to do it! You're always in big productions, this one is the only one I did. Understand that it can be... weird for me to deal with this."

"Brittany, we have been working on it for four years. I think it's time for you to you know, let go, let yourself live with it," Annette tried to suggest kindly.

"Easy for you to say," Brittany grumbled. Her phone buzzed. "Hm, sorry, I have to take this. It might be Santana," she apologized, rummaging through her messy purse.

"How is she by the way?" Annette inquired, noting the sudden brightness in Brittany's eyes that the movie's success had never ever been able to produce in the director.

Brittany instantly smiled widely. "She's great. She almost complies to all my safety strikes," she giggled.

Her hand finally bumped into the buzzing phone. She frowned at the number, one she didn't know. "Hello?"

"_Mrs. Pierce? Are you Mrs. Brittany Pierce?"_ a deep man's voice asked.

"Yes, what can I do for you?"

He coughed, took a deep breath. In the background, Brittany heard sirens and a cacophony of sounds. _"Are you alone? You may want to be alone to hear what I need to tell you."_

Brittany immediately stood up. Her expression made everyone stop and fall silent, sensing that something was probably very wrong to have riled their director this badly. They watched her leave, torn with pending questions.

The noise behind the man was deafening and her heartbeat quickened when she heard someone in the background screaming. She closed the door, focused hard to hear him clearly nevertheless. "Yes?"

_"Your wife is about to be brought to hospital, she has been involved into a car accident."_ Air deserted her lungs. The noise suddenly made sense. _"Mrs. Pierce?"_

"Yes..." she breathed out, eyes wide and body shaking.

"_The car is broken but the airbag worked just fine, her life is absolutely not in danger."_

Brittany trembled. "Is she... _hurt_?"

"_She's indeed injured, but as I said, her life is not in danger at all. I can't tell you more though, my coworker is making a diagnosis in the ambulance as we speak. We'll be able to get a full view on the injury at the hospi-"_

"What injury?"

There was a silence that spoke volumes. _"Unfortunately, I can't tell exactly. All I know is that her life is not in danger."_

Brittany held onto the nearest wall. The mystery was too frightening. All she could think was _why why why why_.

"_Mrs. Pierce,_" he called out to make her focus. "_Go to the hospital, this is the only place where we can have a safe diagnosis. Try to stay calm, drive safely. The sooner you're there, the better for your wife, okay?"_

"Yes..."

"_I'm going to drive her to hospital right now, my coworker is finishing the first aid. Goodbye Mrs. Pierce._"

Brittany groped around along the wall to catch the door. Trembling, holding on the cold metal of the handle, she came in.

"I need to go..." Brittany almost cried, shaking and looking so lost and frightened that an audible hush fell around the assembly of people.

"Brittany, what's happening?" Annette asked weakly.

"Santana, she... in a car accident," she had hard time finding words through the worrying fog of her mind.

"Dear God, is she okay?" Annette jolted.

"They couldn't tell me … " Brittany mumbled.

Annette didn't know what to do to help her dear friend. Brittany was holding tears, packing her stuff as fast as she could, moving in jerky movements that Annette found foreign and disturbing. The dance of someone who was on the brink of losing everything.

"I can... I can come with you," Annette offered, unsure.

"No," Brittany breathed out, shoulders quivering.

"You're sure you can drive? I can drive you!"

"Annette, _no!_ It's my family, stay out of it."

Annette didn't push further. Brittany's tone and expression made it clear that talking would twist the knife in the wound. A good friend would respect her silence even if her own curiosity was almost overwhelming. Even if her hard tone seemed unfair to Annette's opinion. Brittany didn't waste time, she sprinted out.

"Brittany!" Annette yelled through the open door, her German tone icy but firm. "Courage..."

Her friend barely stopped, just turned around. Her car was calling for her. Even if her hands were shaking, even if her sight was blurring, she _needed _to be on the road and on her way to Santana. She was worrying so hard that she didn't even pay attention to the number of traffic lights she was passing under, the number of streets and avenues she was crossing. Anxiety was serenading her heart and she was lost to it's song.

Brittany drove like she had never driven before. She parked as close to the hospital as possible and ran. The entrance seemed too far, the hall too crowded. She dried the sweat on her face, lost and in absolute tears. "Mrs. Pierce, this way!" A nurse shouted over the hospital's noise, having been briefed on the directors pending arrival. Brittany was moving forward before she realized her feet were touching the ground. With a protective hand at her back, the nurse walked her to the right room.

Brittany recognized the black hair through an ajar door. She'd recognize it through thousands. One of her arms was sickly falling from the bed, IV's were decorating her wrist. The crowd of nurses were hiding the rest. Brittany's heart shrunk, images of Santana broken filling her mind.

The nurses made room for their victim's wife. At this point, they had done everything they could and Santana was about to pass out. They were not needed anymore. Reassuring her before Jorge could come back with the ultrasound device was the priority. They let Brittany through and watched as the blonde raised trembling hands. She caught Santana's face.

"My love, I'm here..."

Santana only had scratches here and there. They didn't look like the terrible portraits that had been flipping in her mind. Brittany relaxed, minutely.

Santana opened her eyes, until then sealed with worry. She cried as soon as she took her first conscious breath, as if she couldn't live without letting her pain flow. She sobbed even more. "Brittany... I don't feel them..."

Only a strange force kept Brittany's knees from falling to the ground. Her hands moved by themselves until they reached Santana's, her palms clutching onto her stomach trying to protect the lives under at any cost. Shaking, Brittany realized that Santana's shirt was darkened by dots of blood. Only a couple of inches were uncovered. She tentatively lifted the shirt the nurses were forbidden to touch at Jorge's instructions. The scene before her eyes was too frightening. The skin under was recovered by a large crimson bruise dried from all its blood by the shirt and first aid bandages, obvious proof of a painful injury. Brittany gasped. The same sobs as Santana's bubbled out of her lips, and her eyes moistened in response.

"No... no..." Brittany trembled. She was afraid to touch, petrified that she couldn't feel them move when they had been dancing all morning under her fingers. "_No._.."

Santana looked away, pouring her heart out through heavy tears, as the sight of her injury was screaming everything they might have lost.

"_Get out of my way!" _Ferguson growled in the hallways at people which were holding her up.

"_Next door!" _Jorge ordered loudly, his voice writhing in fear.

Casters shrieked on the tiled floor. Jorge and Ferguson pushed a large ultra sound device into the room. Jorge had called for Ferguson on his own. He had yelled her name in Obstetrics, forcing her to escape from her duties. He needed her and her high-performance tools. To his greatest despair, Jorge hadn't the same level of knowledge about obstetrics as Ferguson, only she could read without missing a single detail. If he had the choice, he wouldn't have let anybody touch his precious daughter and the life she was supposedly carrying.

The obstetrician, reading the fear on her coworker and friend's features, hadn't needed a long account to understand what kind of emergency she was being called for. She had grabbed the best engine the hospital had, one that could provide every single detail of what was happening under the large bloody bruise with stunning accuracy.

Jorge pushed the furniture to reach the closest outlet, a chair falling in the ruffle. Brittany immediately made room, rushing to the other side of the bed, with Jorge hot on her heels. Ferguson clutched a bottle of gel, about to make it explode as a result of the pressure her fist was applying around it. She lifted the shirt with absolutely no care, removed all the bloody-wet compresses. She uncovered an even worse wound, a bloody black wound marking Santana's stomach which made the crimson bruise seem like an utterly simply scratch. Santana burst into tears, sticking her hands on her face so not to see the horror. Brittany held her wrists, her cheeks, tentatively joining her in her pain when her own heart was howling in terror. Ferguson had no choice. Without a second thought, she put large spurts of cold gel and pushed the probe hard and deep against the painful skin.

Santana let her hands fall on her mouth to see. Both moms locked eyes with the screen, shaken by heavy cries. Through the blurry images, they followed Ferguson's fast inspections, both their beings on the verge of falling into utter despair at any confirmation of their most terrifying fears. A heartbeat filled the air. A strong and regular drum beating fast. Ferguson moved the probe to another side, diving deep in Santana's stomach to get the closest look. A second heartbeat rang heavily, with the same rhythm, the same intensity.

Ferguson let out a relieved sigh. "They're okay, they're not hurt..."

Jorge held Brittany's shoulders as the blonde's legs seemed to be give way, out of the greatest relief. Santana's cries were suddenly tainted with painful hope, high-pitched sounds echoing their babies' heartbeats in the room.

"They're okay... it's okay..." Ferguson kept whispering endlessly, finally allowing her own shock to filter through.

Jorge grabbed a chair, and pushed it right behind Brittany's knees. She fell, feeling the ground giving way under her feet. She cried against the bed. Everybody released their own storm of petrified emotions, the heavy silence through the beats welcoming their most relieved prayers. Jorge groped around to find something to hold onto, coming to a convenient table he could sit on. He rubbed his face, washing out the feeling that the worse had just slipped through their fingers.

"Look at them," Ferguson shook Brittany, a pitiful sight crying against the sheets. "Look at them," she insisted, grabbing Santana's wrist to get her to leave her sad crying. Ferguson made a second tour around the babies under the moms' much relieved eyes. "Look, they have nothing, nothing at all..." She flipped through everything, showing their hearts pulsating on the screen, their weak columns just the way they were supposed to be. The heads and necks perfectly aligned. The two of them safely curling up into Santana's womb, the two of them closely keeping each other warm.

"Why... why aren'-... aren't they mo-moving..." Santana cried out. Brittany grabbed Santana's hand forcefully, holding her with raw and strong compassion.

Ferguson put the probe away and pushed against Santana's sides, trying to make them move. She applied pressure on specific areas, regardless of the pain it was probably giving Santana. But Santana couldn't care less. Ferguson could have wanted to cut her stomach without any anesthesia, she would have agreed just to be able to make sure her babies were healthy. For long minutes, she kept pushing here and there, forcing the babies into another position. She went to grab the probe again. Finally, the babies were shyly moving on the screen, upset by Ferguson's disturbances.

"They just got scared by the knock, it's nothing... More frightened than hurt, more frightened than hurt..." Ferguson mumbled for her own reassurance.

"Should we expect complications?" Jorge softly asked, his tone upset by the reality of things. Even if right now everything was okay, his medical expertise and experience knew very well that some consequences could be coming.

"I don't think so... They're okay, the placentas and cervix aren't touched either... We'll watch that but I really don't see anything that could cause any further issue," Ferguson explained like a child to her teacher. She knew Jorge wouldn't forgive her for any mistake, not when his grandchildren's lives were in the picture. "The injury is only external, Jorge. It stopped on the ribs, I can't see anything else wrong..."

Jorge stood up from his seat on the table. Now the storm had quite passed, he could manage to see clearer through the thick fog his brain had been suspended in. He joined Ferguson, both doctors trying to regroup and focus to take care of the injury.

"I'll grab what you need," Ferguson kindly proposed, leaving the man by his daughter's side.

Santana looked up at her father. For the first time in her entire life, she caught sight of tears in the corner of his eyes. Losing your children, that was any parent's biggest fear. Jorge, this strong and proud man, couldn't begin to imagine the terror the situation had put his daughter and her wife in. He would give the world to save his daughter. He could only guess how she was feeling, Santana had the responsibility and the duty of her unborn children on her shoulders. He could only guess the guilt setting Santana's heart on fire if anything happened to them. He dried her tears... cracked a smile through the pain, sheer happiness and love starting to kick in.

Ferguson rushed in, carrying a tray on a rolling side table. She had looked for everything they'd need to clean Santana's wound. She'd need stitches before anything else. "Jorge..." she softly called, handing plastic gloves out for him.

Sniffling in his tears, drying his eyes, he put the gloves on and little by little fell back into his A&E doctor persona. "_Mi'ja_, I'll see if you're hurt anywhere else..."

Santana complied when he made her lean on her side, Brittany and Jorge making sure she wouldn't fall on her stomach too much, that she wouldn't feel any pressure anywhere. He checked her back, her arms, her head, her legs, empty-handed on all places besides a couple of superficial scratches. Only the piece of metal left on Santana's body an injury that could have caused the most dreadful agony of their existences.

"Slowly, slowly," Brittany helped Jorge move Santana back on her back, protectively holding her by the shoulder while her father welcomed her with the same care.

Ferguson held out tongs clutching a cotton full of disinfectant, assisting Jorge as he did what he was the best at, taking care of injuries. He started to clean the wound, revealing the shape of the large stab that had caused so much worry.

"It's not very deep, Santana. You just need stitches and a lot of rest. It'll be over in a couple of weeks, two months max. I promise mi'ja..." Jorge reassured.

Once it was all perfectly clean and disinfected, Jorge prepared a local anesthesia to stitch Santana up. Ferguson began to clean every little scratch on Santana's body, protecting the largest ones with bandages and leaving the most superficial ones as they were. This little dance happened in pure silence as the doctors passed their tools to each other perfectly understanding each other without a single word spoken.

Jorge and Ferguson debated on a way to check Santana with an MRI in case she had hurt her head without realizing it. They found a way to do so without any harmful products for the babies. Brittany couldn't stop staring through the windows, as her wife had to wait for long minutes probably worn by her saddest thoughts, alone in a cold empty room. Luckily, everything was clear. Brittany's expensive and huge car had protected her well from serious damage.

They brought Santana to a new room, far from the noisy mess of casualty. There, Jorge would watch her all night, and all day if needed. He wouldn't go to sleep, unwilling to leave her without being sure to the bone Santana was fine, physically and emotionally. Ferguson set two monitors on Santana's stomach that were maintained on the skin by two larges elastics, checking on the babies' heartbeats. If anything went wrong, the device would ring until someone came to check on them. Knowing she was safe and watched, Ferguson closed the door behind her, leaving Santana with her father and wife.

Only the cars honking outside were left to hear, the parade of all the ambulances bringing new patients in the only sounds invading the room. Santana remained frozen on her bed. She wanted more than anything to feel them, feel them all the time. She was careful not to move, even if the elastics were itching, so she could be sure that every single tiny sensation shaking in her body would be their babies moving. Only them. However, even if she concentrated hard, there was only flutters, nothing like the frank hits she was used to. Brittany took a seat right by the bed, stroked Santana's arm and hand endlessly under Jorge's protective watch. The two of them didn't know what to say, how to soothe Santana when they themselves were a complete mess. At least being together felt somewhat reassuring.

A phone rang in Brittany's bag, carelessly put away in a corner of the room. They all were so absent in their own heads that they didn't even hear it, too lost in their thoughts. After two or three calls, the sound came trickling through Jorge's ears.

"Brittany, your phone," he softly called from the table he was sitting on.

She turned around, finally stepping into reality. "What?" Her mind was completely out of order.

"Your phone... it's ringing," he stood up and went to grab it, his head so dizzy. He flipped through her bag, soon found the petty ringing criminal. He went to give it to her, like a ghost walking through the room.

Brittany peeked at the number, which she didn't know. She sighed, needing time through her blurry mind to figure someone was calling her. The call died, again.

"I don't who that is..." she whispered, lost.

"Do you want me to call back?" Jorge kindly offered. Without needing to be told twice, she looked for the number, pushed on the green button and handed it out to him.

"Hi, Jorge Lopez, Mrs, Pierce's father-in-law, you've been calling-"

"_Hi! This is Mrs, McGinnis, Sophia's teacher. Nobody came to fetch her tonight, I've been trying to call her moms' for over an hour now... Is something wrong?" _Her elegant voice inquired, over the sound of playing kids.

"Oh... Yes, one of her moms had an accident. We... have lost track of time I guess..." He hesitantly said, trying to think through the fog.

"_Is she alright?!"_

"Yes, don't worry. Hm... Can you give me a minute, I'll ask Brittany what she wants to do with Sophia."

"_Yeah, of course!"_

"Sophia!" Brittany started, realizing she had completely forgot about her daughter alone at school. She turned around in a hurry, feeling guilty to the bone. "I forgot Sophia!"

Jorge put her hand on the phone so Mrs. McGinnis couldn't hear. "It's alright Brittany, she's safe at school. Do you want me to call Gloria to go fetch her?"

"Give me the phone," Brittany said thickly. She grabbed it, almost scratching Jorge's hand. "Hello?"

"_Hi Mrs. Pier-"_

"Is Sophia okay?" She cut, heading out of the room not to bother Santana and closing the door behind her. She crossed her arms, feeling cold alone in this white hallway.

"_Yes, she's fine, it's all good-"_

"Give me just the time to come back from the hospital and I'll fetch her."

"_Take your time, Mrs. Pierce! Mr. Hayworth stayed here just in case anyway."_

"Mr. Hayworth, who's that?"

"_Arnold Hayworth, Barry's father. Do you want to talk to him?"_

"Yes, please," Brittany had time to put all the pieces together. There was too many names, too many things to assimilate in so little time.

"_Hey-"_

"Arnold, Santana's in the hospital!" Brittany blurted the moment she heard the friendly voice, already feeling the tears well up. "She got into a car crash, we almost lost the babies!"

"_Oh my god, oh no... Is everybody alright? Is... Santana... hurt?" _He hushed as if Sophia could hear.

Brittany welcomed new tears. "Santana just has an injury on the stomach. They said it was nothing serious but still, it's all over her stomach and it was bleeding so much..."

"_Jesus..." _Arnold had no words.

"A piece of the door came through her stomach... Oh Arnold, I got so scared!" Brittany cried out, breaking down for the first time and falling to her knees.

"_Oh God... Brittany, I'm so sorry... But they're good now, aren't they? They're all safe?" _He tried to reassure her gently.

Brittany dried her wet eyes. "I guess they are... The doctors all said they are..."

Arnold sighed over the line, dumbfounded by the news. Seconds went by, only disturbed by Brittany sniffling sadly. _"Okay you know what, don't worry about Sophia. I'll take her home tonight, and we'll figure something tomorrow, okay?"_

Brittany tried to push away her scare and got to her shaky feet and think about her daughter. "No, I'll come take her. Can you just... wait with her, until I get there?"

"_You're sure? 'Cause we can totally watch her for tonight, you know... Stay with your wife, Brittany, seriously,"_ he insisted kindly, trying to think more clearly than the lost mom. _"She'd be better off not knowing anything until tomorrow, she can have fun with Barry here, that would be better for her... and for you..."_

"I..." Brittany's head was hurting, running on autopilot.

"_Seriously, we're taking care of Soph'. Stay with Santana, don't worry about us, and you call me back tomorrow to let me know. What would you do with her tonight anyway, you can't take her to the hospital... What do you think?"_

"Hm... Right... Yeah, she'd be better with you, I guess... Thank your Arnold. Can I talk to her?"

"_Yeah sure, hold on. Sophia! Your Mommy wants to talk to you!"_ He called loudly. Brittany waited for the little voice she loved so much to speak.

"_Mommy? Why you're not here?"_

Brittany instantly smiled widely and tried her best to sound as normal as possible under the circumstance. "Hey baby, you'll be going to Barry's house tonight! His dad just told me he wanted to have a surprise party for Barry!"

"_Really?!" _Sophia beamed down the phone, it sounded like so much fun.

"Yeah! You're gonna laugh and have so much fun, sweetheart! Barry's dads will drop you to school tomorrow so you won't see Mama and I before tomorrow night, you understand?"

"_Oh... It's long!"_ Sophia pouted over the phone, breaking Brittany's heart in the process.

"Yeah I know... But you'll really have a lot of fun tonight! It's not very often you have pajama parties!" she tried to cheer the girl as best she could.

Sophia let out a surprised sigh. The pyjama parties she usually had with her moms or Chloe were so much fun, with a pot of popcorn in front of her favorite movie. _"Do you think there will be popcorn?!"_

Brittany cracked a smile, "Maybe, I don't know! If there's not, I'll make you some tomorrow night for sure."

Jorge cracked the door open and tapped on her shoulder.

"_Yay!" _Sophia let out gleefully.

"Sweetheart, I gotta go. Behave well at Barry's, alright?"

"_Yes Mommy! I'll miss you."_

"I'll miss you too... I love you bug, have a good night..." She hung up, her heart shrinking.

She turned around to find a weird expression on Jorge's face. "I can't reassure Santana..." he admitted.

Brittany rushed in, Jorge at her heels. Without her, Santana couldn't manage the side effects of this major scare on her own. Two torrents were flowing down her cheeks. She shyly cried relieving tears, consequence of her healing heart. Her weak thumbs stroked her stomach through the bandages and the elastics, the gown messily covering it all.

"My love..." Brittany came to her side. She dried her tears with loving gestures. "You know what, fuck it..." she said as she took her shoes off. "Make some room for me, I need to lay down too," she softly instructed with a smile.

Santana cracked a very shy smile and pushed herself to the edge of the bed closer to the monitoring device. Brittany filled all the room available on the too small bed for four. She leaned on her side to feel less crowded, and carefully put an arm around Santana's shoulder. It didn't take long before Santana snuggled into her embrace, teardrops drying on Brittany's shirt.

"I still don't really feel them..." Santana cried, barely audible.

Brittany bit her lip, trying to find a way to reassure her. "Where's your necklace?"

Santana subconsciously held her throat, looking for the necklace that only left her when she headed to bed. "Oh no..." she let out, disappointed.

"You had it this morning?" Jorge inquired softly.

"Yeah, I always have it..."

"They must have taken it, it's probably with your stuff. I'll look for it, I'll come back in five minutes, okay?"

"Thanks Jorge," Brittany whispered thankfully.

The man left rapidly to go find the treasure that could possibly grant Santana some peace of mind. Meanwhile Santana snuggled in Brittany's reassuring hold, the only place in the world where she could feel safe at any moment. When Jorge came back ten minutes later, he was carrying a huge plastic bag with all Santana's stuff the paramedics had found in her car. Grumbling, he couldn't stop looking for the said necklace. He put the bag on a table, way more convenient to look for things in it. He pulled everything out, one at a time.

"Dios mio, where is this damn necklace... Maybe it fell on the ground in the car and they didn't see it..." he kept flipping through, empty handed.

Santana sighed, so disappointed to have lost it out of this. She pouted, looking even sadder.

"I can call the scrap yard if you want, maybe they can find it in the car..."

Brittany stroked her wife's cheek. "I know it was unique, but we can find another one... Maybe Alma can get you another one..." she reassured.

"Brittany's right, she probably has her mother's one. You know how she keeps everything," Jorge turned around and smiled at her.

Santana shrugged. Nothing would replace Alma's one, the one she had been personally using and which was charged with their family history and all this gift had represented to Santana. She said nothing, just embraced Brittany a little tighter.

Disappointed, Jorge tidied everything, putting Santana's stuff cautiously away again. He fully turned around to hide Santana's scarf filled with blood, hurriedly pushing it in the bottom of the bag. He grabbed her blood-free vest, which was probably on the passenger seat to be so clean. He was smoothing it out before folding it when he heard clinking sounds escape one of the pockets. He looked for the sound maker, his fingers meeting some metal.

"Oh! Hold on," he checked more carefully, taking out a broken chain and a bloody metal ball, slightly flattened here and there. "I have it!" he started, happily. He immediately went to grab a cotton bud and some lotion to clean it off. Beaming, he handed it out to Santana. "It got broken but that's nothing we can't fix! They must have put it there so you don't lose the chain."

Santana cracked a smile, what was the best her healing heart could do. She grabbed it with weak fingers, and took the broken chain out of the pendant. She pulled a little away from Brittany, so she could lift her gown a bit and uncover the skin of her stomach. On the very little skin free from bandages or elastics, she made the little ball roll between her palm and the bruised epiderm. Time flew, Santana always so stuck in the same melancholia. As Brittany was stroking her shoulder protectively, Santana's expression suddenly fell. She shook her head lazily, seeming so deep in emotion.

"Does it work?" Brittany whispered.

Santana's eyebrows dropped, a moved smile finally coloring her lips. She sighed happily, "yeah..."

Everybody relaxed. They all put their big scare behind. Brittany and Jorge studied Santana's every expression, her face shining little by little as the babies kept moving and kicking harder. Brittany would have touched, but there wasn't enough room on the stomach which resembled that of a mummy's than a pregnant woman. Once the babies were frankly kicking, exactly the way they always did, Santana melted. She looked up at Brittany, who was obviously worn by the will to feel them to.

"Do it," Santana lovingly instructed as she handed the ball to her wife.

"I don't want to hurt you..." Brittany hesitated. The purple and dark brown skin was pretty impressive. Only her side was unharmed.

"You won't if you do it softly," she put the ball in her wife's hand.

Brittany braced herself. The little ball felt so warm in her palm. She applied her hand as softly as she could, and started to make the ball roll in slow strokes. Reassurance hit her right in the heart when she also felt little waves rolling under the skin. Subconsciously, Brittany snuggled, embracing Santana tighter.

"They're little miracles..." she cooed.

Santana nodded lovingly. She rested her head in her wife's neck, taking the reassuring hits, the flutters, every single wave, with the greatest happiness. Satisfied by the outcome of what had happened, Jorge came closer, and kissed his daughter's head.

"I'll leave you two, now that I know you're fine," he stroked her hair. He walked around the bed to leave before stopping and looking back. He scratched his head, hesitant. He stepped back to Brittany's side and kissed her hair too, the exact same gesture he had done with this daugther. Brittany looked up, surprised. Jorge smiled, his love for them, the both of them, exploded in a million pieces. He stroked her shoulder kindly. If Brittany had any doubt left regarding whether Santana's parents trusted her or cared about her, it was gone.

* * *

I'm back! Was the wait worth it? Let me know what you think about the chapter!

Oh, and thanks for all those anons and new followers on tumblr, you're all sweethearts..


	13. The Trial

"_The controversy over the long-discussed dangerous behavior of the paparazzi has been brought to a brand new level. The President of United States announced that a law is going to be voted on to protect privacy. This follows the very sad accident caused just ten days ago by a paparazzi who stood in the way of Santana Lopez's car, almost costing the life of the expecting superstar. The President already announced that measures would be taken, such as restraining orders, jail sentences and of course financial compensation. Paparazzi agencies are fulminating. They claim the right to use the sacrosanct American freedom to work. In the President's words himself, "Where does freedom end and harassment begin when lives are being put in danger." In the meantime, celebrities all over United States welcome this news with the greatest relief. However, neither Santana Lopez herself nor her wife Brittany Pierce still haven't spoken a word since the terrible accident. The couple is still reported to be locked in at home, which does not calm the rumours about a possible miscarriage. Even if sources confirmed that she's out of danger and actually resting away from prying eyes, none of these said sources have been able to confirm the details about Santana Lopez's actual condition. May I personally add that I'm actually glad we don't, this family deserves some peace after such a traumatic event. Let's just wish the best for them and let's pray they're not paying the dramatic consequences of some idiots' selfishness. And now, the weather broadcast with -"_

Brittany turned the TV off. She threw the remote onto their messy bed and resumed dressing herself with a chic grey suit. "I knew we were right to vote for him."

"God bless America to have voted for him. For once, they got their shit together," Santana joked. "We should write him a letter to thank him."

Brittany smiled at her wife lying on the covers. She arranged the white collar of her strict buttoned-up shirt. "As you wish."

"Babe, help me get dressed," Santana called, willing to get up.

Brittany rushed. "Santana, please. I'm begging you. I can go alone..."

"But I wanna go! This is a happy day, I want to be there!"

"I know, but can't you just rest and be happy from here?" Brittany pleaded for the hundredth time. "We're gonna win anyway, you don't have to come..."

"Britt," Santana stated quite coldly. "I want to see Quinn cut them and most importantly, I want to see their faces when we win. I want them to see what they did to me in front of a court. That'd make me really happy."

Brittany shrugged, defeated. Her mind already imagined what the mess would look like in front of the courthouse. Thousands paparazzi and news networks waiting to get a peek at the up until then invisible couple. What had started by a simple complaint against Shelley Caraggio had turned into the trial of the year in the media industry. Quinn hadn't lost a second inciting them to press charges against all the paparazzi who had caused the accident. By the time Quinn had pronounced the words "general trial for the Shelley and paparazzi cases", Brittany had already been running to the police station. However, she had tried everything to convince her wife to stay in bed and actually not go with her. Considering Santana's condition, Brittany's protectiveness was, for once, necessary. Santana just couldn't walk. Technically she could, taking three seconds per step, out of breath after two minutes walking. Her broken ribs were putting pressure on her lungs, she couldn't exhale and inhale how she wanted, or needed. The only position making her feel fine was when she was resting, completely flat, not doing anything. There was nothing else she could do without feeling pain. And when she was in pain, she couldn't do anything about it: no painkillers allowed because of the babies. Imagining Santana trying to walk through a crowd, sitting on uncomfortable chairs - when she could barely sit - was just making Brittany feel sick.

She crouched, took Santana's hand. "I beg you..."

"I need to go," Santana didn't compromise. "Help me," she said raising an arm, requiring support.

Sighing, Brittany agreed, only because she was forced to. She slid an arm around her wife to help her sit up. Santana tried to keep her painful groans quiet all along. Sitting was such a simple gesture, yet it was freaking killing her.

"I have a black dress in the second closet," Santana gritted her teeth as she instructed.

When she was sure Santana could hold like that for a second, Brittany went to catch the dress. She opened the loose cloth, preparing it for Santana to pass her head first, and then her arms. If she could. Santana had never taken so long to get dressed. She tightened her jaw all along, focusing hard on doing it fast so the pain wouldn't last longer than that.

"The shoes, before I get up..." Santana herself feared the moment she'd have to switch position from sitting to standing up. Those five seconds when her whole body would be throbbing had nothing tempting. Santana would have sighed when she finally had her shoes on. But she couldn't, sighing hurt too much. Brittany slid an arm again under her shoulder to support her the best she could. "_Ugh_..."

"Easy... I got you, easy..." Brittany took all Santana's weight on her as she made her move. She smoothed her dress, making it fall to recover until her feet.

"Fuck them all, just... _Fuck them_ all," Santana groaned, finally standing after long seconds of painful dizziness.

Brittany's heart shrunk. "You want to put your coat on now?" she tentatively said.

"Ugh no. Just put it over my shoulders. It will work like that."

"Ok. Let's go then..." Right now, Brittany wanted to die.

They took a slow path through the apartment. In the living-room, everybody was waiting for them. Quinn was already wearing her attorney outfit, a whole box of files on her lap. The two bodyguards Brittany had hired were sipping coffee and chatting with a cop. Chloe was trying to sidetrack Sophia's train of thoughts, the little girl wanted to go with her moms, but they had made very clear she wouldn't leave the house. Everybody moved, stopping their routine. The cop exited the apartment, running to let his coworkers know that they'd have to leave soon. Their cars would encircle the Pierce's one, making sure to keep the couple safe for their first outing since the accident. Brittany didn't drive anymore, the bodyguards did.

The bodyguards had started to feel at home. They came every morning and every night to help Brittany get Sophia to school and come back. One would have believed such an accident would have make the paparazzi reconsider their manners, but it wasn't the case. In fact, it was even worse. The fact that nobody knew if the babies were okay was just driving them crazy. The super muscular men put their cups in the sink and one left to get the new car Brittany had needed to buy. There wasn't a bigger car than she one she had chosen. There wasn't a safer one. Brittany wasn't the richest of the couple. She didn't have in her bank account the same amount of money as Santana did. Nevertheless, she would have spent every single penny she had to buy that damn war machine the car salesman had showed her.

Twice as much time as usual had been necessary for Santana to walk to the elevator and then to the car. Santana discovered the new car, groaning in pain every once in a while. She smirked at the luxurious vehicle, the inside making clear that the doors wouldn't bend even if a tank was driving to them. The closer they got to the courthouse, the bigger the crowd of cameras was. The car halted in front of the door, protected by a horde of policemen.

"You know what they say, you only live once," Santana joked to ease her wife.

She stared at the great stairway that led to the entrance, and the absolute jungle of wild animals waiting all around. All journalists would turn into bloodthirsty sharks once her feet would show. She'd have to walk, with her insanely slow pace, under the growling questions.

"That's not funny," Brittany sighed. She tightened Santana's coat on her wife's shoulders. She was getting them ready to brave the mediatised storm. "It's them!", "It's them!" people shouted outside. Brittany shrugged. "Nope, that doesn't make me laugh at all..."

"Come on girls, it's gonna be fine! We'll win, and I'm pretty sure they all will be prohibited from being here after the trial," Quinn cheered. She went to open the door on her side, "Let's go!"

The policemen had a hard time maintaining the crowd on the sides. Even with their bodyguards blocking the view, Brittany had to curl around her wife to protect her. Slowly, Santana managed to walk.

"Santana, are you faking it to win the trial?","Have you lost the babies?" the questions came hurtling to their ears. Santana held her coat closer, hiding her bigger bump. "Mrs Pierce, care to comment the miscarriage rumours?", "What are your thoughts about the President's proposition about privacy?"

"My clients will not be answering any questions," Quinn interjected.

Santana snuggled in her wife's embrace as she braced herself to start climbing the stairs. Brittany held her a little tighter, accompanying her every move with strong support. They remained stoic as the questions people were throwing at them became more horrible by every second. Santana struggled to raise her feet. She gasped, was forced to hold her bump under the flashes.

"You're alright? They kicked you in the ribs again?" Brittany worried, curling even more to hide her. Santana nodded, rubbing the pain away.

"She's still pregnant!", "She's still pregnant!", "Santana, twins or triplets!", "Are they twins?!" the journalists howled.

"Keep going my love, there's only five steps left," Brittany lovingly whispered.

Santana sighed. She wasn't the courageous mother she had been until then. The pain was making her reconsider the situation. She tried to breathe despite the pressure of her broken ribs. "It hurts..."

Brittany tightened her jaw. She peeked around and called a bodyguard. "Carry her to the courtroom, she can't keep walking," she instructed to the mountain of muscles.

"Won't it hurt her?" he worried.

Santana peeked over their shoulders. The flashes were flying from everywhere and yet she was stuck on her step. "Whatever, I've gotta move fast from here anyway... I can't afford waiting for someone to bring a wheelchair for me, carry me, come on!"

Sighing, the bodyguard caught her the softest he could. She was a lightweight for him anyway. She winced, grunted. Being carried away was no good at all but she had way too much pain to be proud and courageous in front of the cameras for long minutes. They all escaped the jungle much faster and soon reached the peaceful silence of the courtroom, Santana fighting the pressure of being held by gritting her teeth so hard not to groan loudly.

"Where do I put her down, Mrs Pierce?" he inquired on their way.

"Darragh, that's your name, right?" Santana asked in a husky voice from the pain. He nodded. "I think that now you have your hands on my butt, we can work on a first name basis and you can talk to me."

Brittany snorted. She showed the last seat in the front row and the bodyguard fulfilled the orders. On the other side of the room, the accused stared. They had a very clear answer if they had been wondering if Santana was faking it for weeks.

"Easy, easy..." Santana grit her teeth and groaned as Darragh was putting her down despite the very small room between the bench and the table. "Oh fuck, it hurts..."

"I'm sorry, I'm doing my best..." Darragh felt bad.

"I know, don't worry about that. Taking a shower makes me cry so..." she tapped on his shoulder when she was finally down. She cracked a reassuring smile, the best she could do.

Shelley Caraggio and the paparazzi glared. America's Sweetheart was injured and badly so, apparently. The whole trial would only turn into a long waiting game until the details of their failure would be exposed. Now it was crystal clear.

The trial started. Quinn was a beast, her deep voice contrasting with the accused's attorneys' own. She was determined to win, to take care of her friends with her best effort. She was throwing arguments to the judge with fierce determination, confirming to Brittany and Santana that the smart blonde would get the best for them. She had no pity, especially when Shelley Caraggio was to testify in the witness stand.

"Mrs Caraggio, or may I call you Mrs Greneal since you just lost at your divorce trial," Quinn threw, making Shelley feel even more uncomfortable.

"Irrelevant," her attorney responded.

"Mrs Fabray, please continue," the judge instructed.

"Mrs Caraggio, what was your motivation to contact the press and let them know about my client's condition?" Quinn pointed at Santana.

Shelley fidgeted in her seat, uneasy under the whole audience's stare. "I needed to find a way to help my family to handle my divorce proceedings."

"The real motivation," Quinn insisted, arms crossed.

Shelley coughed. "I needed money to pay my bills."

"You indeed needed money to pay for your Dior jewelry, evidence N°36, deposition by Mr Hayworth who figured you were the one to give the scoop away," Quinn stated as the judge flipped through the files to see the said piece of evidence. "That was indeed a real emergency. Is it this sense of priorities that led you to lose not only your divorce but also the full custody of your son?"

"Irrelevant, we're not here to put my client through a second divorce, your honor," Shelley's attorney stood up raging.

"Mrs Fabray, please stay focused on the case," the judge softly scolded. "Keep going."

"I don't have any more questions for Mrs Caraggio," she turned around and winked at her friends very discreetly. A little scolding from the judge was totally worth for the image the jury would get of Shelley. "I'm calling to the stand Mrs Brittany Pierce."

Brittany let out a deep breath. She stroked Santana's back in support. She hated leaving her alone on that uncomfortable bench. She took a path to the box and crossed Shelley on her way out. The accused didn't dare looking up.

"Mrs Pierce," Quinn cracked a smile, it always sounded funny to call her friend this way. "Can you explain how Mrs Caraggio's initiative has upset your life?"

"Well..." Brittany riveted her eyes on Santana. "Obviously, it led to my wife getting badly hurt. If my fame is pretty new, hers started a long time ago. But we've never had this much trouble."

"Objection," Shelley's lawyer threw. "Mrs Brittany Pierce got injured five years ago as a direct consequence of the publishing of wedding pictures."

"But that has nothing to do with it! That was a homophobic mad man who stabbed me, not a horde of paparazzi following us seven days a week, 24 hours a day! You can't compare, these are two completely different things."

"Did you...you and your wife, have a plan about a possible announcement of Mrs Santana Pierce's pregnancy? That maybe Mrs Caraggio's initiative kept from happening?" Quinn calmly asked, stoical.

"Yeah, of course we did. Our plan was pretty much safe, hm... We wanted to wait as long as possible before announcing it, something like four to five months in. Santana would have kept a low profile until she started to really show. Then she would have started to work from home and actually pretty much hide from paparazzi by staying at home. This is how it was supposed to happen but Mrs Caraggio spilled it before we were actually ready."

"How do you think Mrs Caraggio figured it out?"

"Honestly, I don't know. Besides scrutinizing Santana each time she went to drop Sophia to school... We went to a birthday party where she was but Santana wasn't showing a lot by then. Misters Hayworth, the party's organizers, had figured it out by then. But only because they are our friends, they know us. I mean, they figured something was up and put the pieces together on their own but we didn't tell anyone anything, even to them. There had been rumours at school, but nobody had something serious to hold on to. I figure that Mrs Caraggio just sold the scoop making it sound as if it was sure, that's the only possibility."

"Can you elaborate on the "making it sound sure" thing?"

"Well, it's pretty simple. We were peacefully living our life and one day one paparazzo showed up at Sophia's school. The morning after, there were ten etc. It took less than a week for the frenzy to start. They wouldn't have act like that if they weren't sure to get something. They have never chased us like that, the way they just did."

"Even when Mrs Santana Pierce was expecting your daughter Sophia?"

"Even by then. We had been free to follow our plan back then. We had announced her pregnancy by the fifth month and she had spent the rest of her pregnancy resting at home. Just like we were supposed to do this time."

"Do you feel personally in danger now?"

"Of course I do. But my own safety is less important than Santana's," Brittany admitted from the bottom of her heart.

Quinn frowned. "Explain."

"She's carrying my kids," Brittany breathed out under Santana's sad stare. "On the day of accident, I lent my own car to Santana because mine was the safest. For once, I couldn't drive her because I had a very important meeting and believe me, I had a bad feeling all along. I knew that since we'd been both on the road that day, they wouldn't follow me. That's exactly what happened. I had none and Santana had all of them. They only chase me when they know Santana's at home so they can ask me questions or when I'm with Sophia so they can take pictures of her. They don't care about me."

"Are you afraid of what might happen next?"

"I'm not sure. The frenzy is nowhere calmer but Santana just can't go out anymore. She's too sick for that so... they can't chase her either for the moment. What I'm really worried about is when the babies will be born. They're not afraid to chase a pregnant woman, would they be afraid to chase a car with newborns in it?"

Quinn smiled, between worried and compassionate. "I understand. I don't have any more questions, thank you Mrs Pierce."

The judge nodded, scribbling. "Do you have any questions for Mrs Pierce?" he asked in the direction of the accused's' team of attorneys.

"No, your Honor. We'd like to question Mrs Santana Pierce," a lawyer announced, standing up as Brittany and Quinn left the central part of the courtroom.

"Considering my client's condition, would your Honor allow her to be auditioned from her seat?" Quinn called.

"Allowed," the judge nodded.

"Mrs Pierce," the opponent's attorney stood in front of her. "I think you're faking your medical condition."

"I'm sorry?" Santana would have jolted. She indeed had expected the opponents to lessen their responsibility in what had happened. Yet sitting was killing her the way it did, and she had hard time swallowing the fact someone could accuse her of..._ faking_ it.

"Your medical report had been signed by Dr Jorge Lopez who, I assume, is your father. This invalidates its accuracy. I've had broken ribs. It takes less than three weeks to heal, nothing like the two to three months required in your record. I think you're faking it."

"Santana, you don't have to answer that," Quinn whispered."My client's medical report had been signed by the doctor who took care of her in the ER, who indeed happens to be her father, but it had also been signed by her obstetrician, who is not related to my client. Its accuracy is legitimate."

"Oh but I can answer that question," Santana spat, bitter. "Fine, you had broken ribs. I assume you had cortisone, and most importantly, I'm pretty sure you didn't have twins growing inside, pushing on the lungs, hence pushing on your ribs. And I'm even more certain that you don't have kids because if you did, you'd know that expecting women have discomfort because your body making room for the babies, hence your back hurts, your insides hurt, even your bladder hurts. Add broken ribs to the equation and every single move you make nearly breaks you. And you can't take any medication or you might risk your babies' condition since twins mean risky pregnancy or easy miscarriage. _Any _medication is strictly prohibited. Does that answer your question?"

The attorney sniffed. He flipped through his file, looking for another question. Quinn smiled at her friend. If Santana needed to switch to law instead of music, her career was all set.

"Do you have a second opinion to justify this question?" the judge threw to the attorney.

"I did but her medical record hadn't stipulated that Mrs Pierce is expecting twins-"

"So your question is invalidated," the judge stated to Quinn's greatest satisfaction. "Mrs Pierce is obviously making a big effort on her part to be here today, so next question. And a decent one, please."

"Mrs Pierce, you're pleading against physical injury. The investigation showed that no harm had been intentionally caused. The actual cause of the accident is the bad weather, just like any other accident on a pouring day, evidence N°19, the accident police report. Do you have a proof that some of my clients intentionally hit your car?"

Santana took a second to think about the question. The heavy silence in the room was deafening. "I don't."

"Your Honor, Mrs Santana Pierce invalidates her pleading herself. I don't have any more questions, thank you," he left.

Quinn stood up, with the firm intention to erase from the jury's minds Santana's answer. She took a second in front of the couple, gave them a reassuring smile. "I'm sorry but I have to do it," she whispered to them. "I demand the jury to see the evidence N°28, a paparazzi video seized by the Police consequently to the accident."

Someone brought a TV set and the video aired. As soon as Santana saw the very first image, she looked away. She caught Brittany's hand in need of support. Those images were simply painful to her and it would soon be for Brittany as well.

"_Pass in front of him, pass through!"_ a paparazzo yelled to the driver of his scooter. The camera was all pointed on Santana's car. _"Faster! Faster! Oh shit, she's opening her window!"_

"_I get you want pictures but you're fucking risking your life here! It's pouring rain, go home!" _Santana's voice rang over the sound of scooters and waterfalls of rain.

"First warning," Quinn stated coldly.

"_Try to get closer!" _the paparazzo instructed to his co-worker. Flashes were skimming on Santana's car, the rain only made it worse. A scooter crossed Santana's way, everything recorded in camera. "_Holy shit! Brake, brake!" _

"_Are you serious! Hey, hey! I'm being serious here! Do your thing if you want but what you're doing is fucking dangerous right now! For me and for you! Leave room for my car!"_ Santana fulminated.

"Second warning," Quinn let out pointing at the screen. Brittany slid an arm around her wife's shoulders, protective. Yet she couldn't stop watching it. She got the chance to know exactly what had happened even if it was breaking her heart.

The dance of scooters was just getting scarier at every second. Braking and speeding up were the only religion those dancers seemed to have. Brittany felt so sad. "I'm so sorry I left you alone..." she whispered in her wife's ear. Santana snuggled.

"_If you leave me no choice, I'm gonna drive my way out and it'd be too bad for you if one of you get hurt in the way," _Santana threatened on screen.

"Third warning."

The sounds of a scooter braking hard deafened the camera, the sound being suddenly all icy. _"Fuck! Leave it, I don't want to get hurt! Get away from here!" _the paparazzi instructed.

The camera moved to a much larger angle as the scooter parted. Now all Santana's car and its cloud of scooters surrounding it was showing on the screen. Another scooter crossed in front of her and Santana's car braked just in time. Brittany jolted. She imagined everything happening in the car. Santana's panicked expression, her swearing. Maybe even holding her stomach in pure protectiveness over the babies. Brittany rubbed her forehead, trying to hold growing tears.

"_Does someone need to be killed so you understand how risky this is?!"_ Santana yelled.

"Fourth warning."

The camera barely had time to record Santana winding her window back before a loud and icy bang resonated. _"Brake, brake, brake!" _the paparazzi shouted. The image went blurry, shaking. Another bang sounded, like an explosion of crashing metal. _"What the fuck just happened?"_

"_Her car crashed!"_

"_No fucking way!"_ The camera turned all around, looking for the right car in the mess of stopped cars and scooters. The paparazzo caught sight of Santana's car, and most importantly its broken door which looked more like origami than metal.

Quinn stopped the video. Brittany took her arm back and bent forward on the table. She hid under her hand, fighting hard tears and guilt.

"It's not your fault..." Santana tried to reassure for the hundredth time, as a huge hole throbbed in her chest.

"I should have driven you, I should have rescheduled my meeting... I should have been the one driving," Brittany's voice trembled.

"You couldn't know..." Santana stroked her wife's back. The jury didn't miss a thing of their sick exchange. Their honesty was heartbreaking.

"I told you I had a bad feeling," Brittany weeped. "I should have trusted myself."

"But you did! Imagine what could have happened if I had been in my car..."

Brittany looked up, her eyes drowned in tears. How easy was reading her biggest fears. She was holding on her father-in-law's words, "If Santana had been in her car, her door would have been destroyed and not only Santana would have lost the babies, but her life would have been seriously in danger." Brittany embraced Santana again, as softly as possible not to harm her in any way. She put a shy kiss on her temple, a light attempt at some tenderness in the stressful courtroom.

"Indeed my client hasn't been directly and physically threatened, yet she has very clearly warned about the danger of the situation by _four_ times. And she was right. You don't need clairvoyant skills to figure that such driving under such weather conditions is not only dangerous but actually dead threatening. Yet nobody listened to her, they all _decided_ not to listen despite the risks. What happened is no surprise, the video is pretty clear about it. That's why I think my client is in her right to plead against intentional physical injury. The cause of the accident clearly is the paparazzi's behavior, not my client's driving skills," Quinn pleaded to the judge and jury. "Mrs Santana Pierce, can you confirm the jury the seriousness of your accident and injuries?"

"Hm..." Santana pushed her tears away. "The car is completely totalled and the only reason why I haven't miscarried is because my ribs created a natural barrier to the piece of metal which pierced me."

"Confirmed by evidences N°14 and 15," Quinn threw to the audience.

"It's a miracle that they're still here..." Santana weeped, way too emotional as the end of the trial was coming. She couldn't stop herself, she stroked her stomach, biting her bottom lip to stop the sobs from spilling through.

"I don't have any more questions for my client," Quinn went back to her seat.

The judge sighed, exhausted by all the testimonies of the paparazzi, Shelley and the hurt couple. "Since the testimonies are now complete, we'll withdraw to deliberate." He stood up and left with the jury without giving away any expression that could provide some kind of answer on how the trial would end.

Quinn relaxed. Out of habit, she made herself comfortable and sat on the table, folding her legs. "It's gonna be easy peasy, don't worry," she smiled. "Now we wait for my triumph to shine..."

"Fabray not kicking some ass would be a first," Santana managed to joke despite the ordeal. She fidgeted uneasy.

"Are you alright?" Brittany worried right away. Santana made a face. She'd be better in her bed. It was the only place where she could be "alright". "Will we have to wait for long?" She asked Quinn, concerned.

"Oh they'll be quick, I'm sure. They just need to find a sentence for each accused so one hour maybe?"

Santana sighed. She looked at Brittany with pleading eyes. "Can I lay on you for a while? I can't stand just sitting here for one hour of nothing..."

No need to negotiate. Brittany took a comfy and open position on the bench, arms all wide to welcome Santana. The latter slowly switched position from the terrible one she had. Snuggling, the pressure on her stomach softened. It wasn't paradise, yet it was still better than before.

"Seriously, you can lay on the bench. I doubt someone will say something to you, and even so, they'd taste my fist if they do," Quinn said around a friendly smile.

Santana wondered. This trial had lasted for hours already, she was exhausted. Perhaps laying for a while wouldn't be a bad idea. Brittany didn't wait for her to decide, she already grabbed her coat to make a sort of cushion and slid it under her wife's back. She tapped on her own thigh playfully.

"Come on my love, nap time! Those muscles make very nice pillows," Brittany tempted.

Chuckling, Santana complied. She lied down with Brittany's help, careful not to make any wrong moves. One leg up on the bench, the other and then she was ready to take a decent pause in the middle of the stressful trial. Indeed, Brittany's thigh was warm and comfortable. The fake cushion under her back was quite relieving. She relaxed, all eyes up on her wife stroking her hair lovingly. All the audience chatting rocked her to sleep. Slowly, her eyelids fluttered.

"Feeling better?" Brittany cooed, keeping stroking.

Santana nodded. A couple of seconds after, she stopped fighting the nap calling for her. She fell asleep.

Brittany breathed out, gazing at her. "This whole trial thing has her exhausted... I'm happy it's almost done. Maybe she'll sleep better from now on."

"Was she worried?" Quinn inquired, concerned.

"Yeah... She just can't stop talking about it. She's so angry that you know, she's brooding over it, over and over again. I really hope it turns out well... I don't care about the money or anything, I just want Santana to be able to turn over a new leaf."

Quinn bit her lip. "I understand... You know, I'd be really surprised if we don't get restraining orders. If we're lucky, they'd set a legal precedent and they'd do what the President announced."

Brittany was thoughtful, taking Santana's locks one by one and making them fall softly. "But what would it change? We'd get restraining orders for the ones who chased her, but the others..."

"That's what I'm talking about. If they use jurisprudence, they're gonna forbid _any_ paparazzi to follow you. That's what I'm hoping for! They wouldn't be able to follow you, anywhere."

"Don't make me dream of impossible things..." Brittany cracked a smile. "She's so scared of them now. I've always been the one too protective and she was the one fighting for us not taking any precautions but now, even she has hard time seeing me leaving the house. She's just... so scared, that it might happen to me or Soph'."

Quinn didn't know what to say. She knew what she wanted for her friends. She had fought hard to get it. She could understand the situation, yet she had no idea what it actually felt like. "She doesn't want to go out anymore?"

"No. It's even breaking her heart to see us go, even to school. Well, I'm saying that but she's way too sick to go out anyway. You see it with your own eyes," Brittany said, somehow bitter. "But honestly, even when she gets better, I really doubt she'd leave the house for any other reason than medical appointments. Or you know, delivering," she smiled.

She softly stroked Santana's stomach. But she couldn't caress the skin under the dress, the bandages made an unpleasant barrier. Plastic sounds replaced the velvet ones that had always accompany their strokes.

"Perhaps she'll be better once the trial is over. She can move on!"

"I hope so..." Brittany sighed. "I just can't wait for it to be over. I want to focus on happy things. You know, buying the babies some clothes and furniture, painting their room..." she cooed all eyes on Santana. "This accident thing just keeps us hanging in some dark place when we should be happy and excited. It's so irritating."

"Just an hour Brittany and you will be free to focus on whatever you want, I promise," Quinn reassured.

- o -

Santana wanted to run, jump everywhere yet her feet were glued to the ground. Again, always, she had to walk very carefully, way too carefully for her dancing heart.

"Hurry!" she stressed Brittany, the blonde on her way to push the button of the elevator.

"Babe, I can hurry but you can't so I don't see the point," Brittany joked.

"Oh, you..." Santana maintained her chuckles. She made her scarf slide and went to whip her wife with it. Well, she could have done it if the wide gesture needed to lead this motion wasn't beating the crap out of her. The pain stopped her right in her tracks, the scarf hanging in the air.

Brittany laughed. "Sweetie, leave the whipping for the bedroom when you're no longer injured."

"Blah blah blah," Santana made a face. "I won't be hurt forever!"

The blonde walked her into the elevator, "Come on, frustrated whipping Mama, our daughter's waiting."

Santana made her way in with slow steps. However when the doors flew closed, they both realized how different things felt like now. They were alone. No bodyguards, no parents or friends to help them out with the crowd, no lawyer. Just the two of them together, exactly how it should be. Brittany smiled. Their apartment building's hall was silent, the elevator as well. Everything was quiet.

"Do you hear that?" she grinned.

Santana frowned.

"The silence," Brittany pronounced it as a blessing.

Suddenly, Santana paid attention to the noise around. Only the metallic ethereal sound of the elevator was beating along their heartbeats. Nothing else was less to hear. She sighed, happy.

An unusual feeling of loneliness led them to their front door. As if nobody cared about them. As if they had nothing special. They enjoyed that feeling more than one possibly could. Their hearts were all light when Brittany turned the knob of their apartment door.

"Moms! Moms! Moms!" Sophia stormed, almost stumbling over her dress, which was a little too long, Chloe at her heels. "I saw you on TV! You were on TV!"

"We won against the bad guys, babydoll, we won!" Santana laughed out.

"They can't follow us from now on!" Brittany explained just as thrilled. She heaved her daughter and drown the light brown hair under a sea of kisses.

"Really?!" Sophia frowned despite the happy news. Now she had gotten accustomed to the jungle, a siberian desert instead was hard to picture.

"Yeah, really!" Brittany skipped to the large windows of the living-room, until then protected with large curtains. She pulled them forcefully, way too happy to care. Holding her baby close, she opened the window wide so they could peek down on the street together. "See! There's nobody!"

"Taaaalalalalala my mommies are better than youuuuu!" Sophia sang to the invisible crowd. She gasped, locked eyes with her mom. "We need to celebrate! Mommy, we need to have a party so they will feel super sad because no one loves them and everybody will be at our party!"

Brittany peeked back inside at Santana. The latter was already glued to the couch, shattered by such a stressful day despite the insane happiness throbbing in her heart.

"Aw baby, that's a great idea but... how about we have a pajama party instead? They will be so mad not to be invited. We'll have popcorn and they won't!" Brittany negotiated. All she wanted was to enjoy the lightness of a normal life, a happy and calm life knowing her family safe. "This way, Mama can party with us."

"Yes!" Sophia beamed.

Blessed, Brittany put Sophia down and closed the window. She took a second to contemplate the beauty of the empty sidewalks as she did. No hurriedly parked cars, no scooters, no flashes. There was just the emptiness of the cold concrete left to enjoy. She took a deep gulp of air, refilling her lung with the sweetest sensation of finally being... cool.

Santana readjusted her position in the couch and pulled the covers over her, well-decided not to ever move again. "The judge said that they aren't allowed to follow us until the babies' birth or it'd be jail right away. He came to talk to us after the trial, he said that it was the best he could do considering that the law the President was talking about, you know... Have you heard about that?" Santana answered Chloe's zillion questions.

"The privacy thing?"

"Yeah! Since it hasn't been voted on yet, the judge couldn't sentence that. So in the meantime, he charged the accused for unintentional manslaughter attempts against me and the kids, so you can imagine the sentences the accused got... Maximum penalty, trebled," Santana giggled.

"...Trebled? They're not even born."

"Well it doesn't matter, the judge considered them as human beings anyway so the law applied. Gosh I'm so happy," she snuggled in the cushions. "You should have seen that... _bitch's face_," Santana whispered for her daughter's safety, "when the judge told the sentence. I'm pretty sure she lost everything between her divorce and this trial."

"What do you mean?"

"Well she cried when she heard how much she'll have to pay. $50,000 for me and $25,000 per each baby. Her ex-husband is already paying for their kid's school... I bet my ass she's gonna have to sell her house," Santana snorted, thrilled to know that very dark times were about to come for Shelley Caraggio.

Chloe smiled wide, "ouch..."

"Oh yeah, she won't be creeping around my babies any time soon, believe me..."

"So technically you're free until their birth?" Chloe tried to get everything. "Why not later?"

"I told you, because he couldn't do anything further!" Santana let out. Chloe frowned, trying to understand the flow of disconnected information.

"He said until the delivery because he put Santana's condition in front to justify the sentence. He said that once they're born, we can press charges against the first pap we bump into so we can have another trial and this time, the President's law will be voted so the judge, him or another, will use that law to give us full serenity," Brittany explained all smiles.

Chloe scratched her head. "Another trial?! How's that good news?"

Brittany laughed. "Sis, if we have to go to another trial so we can walk in streets all peacefully, I'd do it thousand times." She breathed fresh air deeply. "It's so good to see there's a justice after all."

"Mommy, if there's nobody outside anymore, can we go walk Mr Mango?" Sophia pleaded looking up at Brittany.

The blonde smiled wide. They hadn't walked the poor dog themselves for weeks, months maybe. The task of walking the bundle of fur had been relegated to family, bodyguards, anybody that could actually leave the house. The poor dog missed his mistress, her cuddles and games.

"Go find his leash, we'll go in a minute," Brittany agreed.

No need to be told twice, Sophia was already yelling excitedly through the apartment to go find the leather rope she had hoped touching again one day. The three adults laughed at the little girl.

"A brand new world full of possibilities for our beloved bug," Santana kidded.

"You don't mind if we go out without you?" Brittany crouched in front of her wife.

"Are you serious?! Oh my god, go! You need some nice mother/daughter alone time, sweetie," Santana stroked the blonde's face. "Take your time! Don't worry about me, I'm gonna eat my weight in ice cream as my very own celebration," she giggled.

"Alright then... What about you? You wanna come?" she called for her sister.

"Nah, go without me. I won't be around for much longer anyway, I gotta see my man," Chloe said around a smile.

"Mommy, I'm ready, Mommy! Mommy!" Sophia rushed in, the leash dragging on the ground behind her and the puppy trying to catch its end. She waited at her mom's feet, looking up with pleading eyes to go as soon as possible.

Brittany ruffled her hair. She left for the kitchen and hurriedly prepared everything her wife might need while she'd be away. In other words, she put a huge box of ice cream out of the freezer, a big spoon and a glass of water. Santana's eyes shone bright when she came back with the frozen treasure. Within a second, the lid had popped and the spoon was digging deep in those creamy mountains.

"Oh gosh, I've waited for this all day," Santana let out beyond blessed. The spoon disappeared again between her luscious lips.

Brittany smiled. All curled up under a cover, the ice cream carton put on her stomach and ready to watch a movie and fall asleep, Santana couldn't look more content. She seemed so happy that broken ribs sounded like a distant memory.

Brittany closed her coat, stuffed her scarf in it, ready to brave the coldness of the fading day while walking the dog. She had never thought she possibly would be able to live this, a random family life, ever again.

"Do you need anything else, my love?"

Santana snapped her fingers in the air. "Remote!" Laughing, her wife grabbed it on the coffee table. Santana snapped again, "my phone!" Brittany flipped in the pockets of the brunette's coat and handed it out. The latter beamed. Remote and phone on her left, spoon on her right, she was all set for a marvelous moment. "_Mi amor_, you may now go explore far-off lands, I'll keep the castle safe!"

Chloe stared. "I think we just lost her..."

"Leave her alone," Brittany giggled. "We won't be too long," she kissed her wife's forehead before gesturing for Sophia to head out.

"Oh but I hope you will be! Have fun girls!" Santana shouted over the couch.

- o -

"Come on baby, run, faster!" Brittany yelled in the park, about to throw a ball in the air.

The yellow ball pierced the air like a cannonball. Sophia and her dog ran fast to get it. She slipped, head first on the wet lawn. Her high-pitched cries resonated right away, barely softened by Mr Mango licking affectionately her face covered in mud.

Smiling, Brittany rushed to save her beloved daughter from torrents of crying. "Did you hurt yourself, sweetie?"

"Mommy... I-... I-... fell," Sophia sobbed out. She tried to remove the mud from her eyes but her hands were dirty from the fall. It was pointless anyway. Brittany couldn't hold a chuckle at the sight.

"I know, I saw... But it's alright, it's just some dirt," she softly said, helping her to stand back up. She fumbled in her pocket to find tissue to help clean her up. Sophia peeked at her pink coat covered in mud stains, the worst of the drama happening right before her eyes.

"But I'm-... I'm... all dirty!" she sobbed even more. "Mommy, my coat is _dirty!" _

"God, you're such a diva..." Brittany grumbled, quietly beneath the sound of her daughter's cries. "Shh baby, it's fine! We're gonna put your coat in the washing machine, it'll be super clean!"

Sophia choked, swallowing her tears. "R-r-really?"

"Of course sweetheart," she smiled finishing cleaning her face. "It'll look like brand new, don't worry 'bout that. Come on, gimme your hands." Brittany wiped her fingers, those miniature replicas of Santana's. "One finger, two fingers..." she sang to push away the bad memory of the fall.

Sophia watched her do with big eyes. Softly, she calmed down. "Mommy, is true that babies are dirty? I don't like dirty things."

Brittany chuckled. "Who told you that?"

"Barry. He said that his dads clean Lindsey all the time."

She smiled, "they're not dirty. They just need to get their diapers changed quite often. They smell very good most of time."

"What do they smell like?"

Brittany had hard time not grinning. How dear were those memories of Sophia as a baby, her soft and innocent perfume. In her dreams, she remembered her smelling, so pure and fresh. She'd recognize that fragrance through millions. That was an indescribable feeling. "Oh... I don't know, they smell very sweet, very... soft."

"Like candy?"

Brittany laughed. "No, not at all. It's really hard to describe but trust me, the twins will smell good and will be very clean. Speaking about clean kids, you are now very clean, my sweetheart!" she stood up, stuffing the dirty tissues in her pocket.

"Thank you Mommy," Sophia was now satisfied. "Can we go home now?"

The blonde whistled, calling the dog. Once the puppy was back, they were ready to head back home. She grabbed her tiny hand and they slowly exited the park.

"Do babies take showers?" Sophia inquired. The little talk had upsetted her curiosity.

"They take baths."

"What else do they do?"

_They cry_, Brittany thought. But perhaps now was the time to draw the sweetest portrait possible of what a real baby was. "Not much. They sleep a lot, they eat and they take baths."

"What do they eat?"

Brittany peeked down at Sophia. She was staring with big eyes, from the one expecting more information than her mother could possibly provide. Being 4, what a lovely age. Brittany realized that after the pouting age, the random crying age, they were in for the curious age. She was growing up, that was for sure. She was growing up too fast. Her daughter was patiently waiting for an answer, thrilled to get one.

"Mommy, what do they eat?" Sophia let out, insisting while pulling on their handhold.

"You know what they eat, sweetie. It's just like the doll Grandma' Julie gave you, you know, the little baby with the milk bottle. Real babies eat milk too." Sophia gasped, putting the pieces together. "Mama will give the twins milk at first."

"Why Mama, not you?"

"Because it's Mama who got the milk for them. I don't have some myself."

"But we have milk in the fridge!"

Brittany snorted. She focused on the street life as they were getting closer to home. "It's not the same kind of milk. Babies need a special milk."

"What kind of special milk? Can you buy it at the supermarket too?"

She had hard time not laughing. There she was, explaining nursing to her todd. "Well, you can buy powdered milk at supermarket, but Mama and I won't buy this because Mama can make real milk on her own."

Sophia paused straight and frowned, stopping her mother in her walking and forcing Gogo to struggle with his collar. "But... how? I thought milk was coming from the cow? It's what it's written on the milk bottle in the fridge!"

"Not always-"

"But you told me it was coming from the cow! You told me that was written on the milk bottle!" Sophia almost yelled. "You lied to me?!"

Brittany laughed. "No! I didn't lie to you, the milk in the fridge comes from the cow but the babies' milk comes from the baby's mom."

"But you, you can't? You're my mom!"

Brittany scratched her head, picturing no end to the questioning. "It's the mom who carries the baby who can make milk."

"But how?" Sophia stared, demanding an answer as she pulled on her mother's hand.

What she was about to do wasn't the best idea, yet Brittany didn't really have a sea of options in front of her. "You know what, ask Mama when we get back home. She'll explain it to you. Can we keep walking now? It's starting to be really dark, sweetie."

Sophia complied and resumed walking. Her pout stuck on her lips until they got home. She just couldn't wait for Santana to explain, explain everything, explain all of it. Sadly, her disappointment knew no bounds when she bumped into Santana sleeping peacefully on the couch. She'd have to _wait_.

She peeked at Brittany coming around. She wetted her eyes, pouted a bit, a deceptive face she had mastered months ago. "You need to wake her up so she can tell me," she demanded.

"No, nope, you're not waking her up," Brittany almost mocked the suggestion. "Wait until she wakes up on her own, go!" she gestured to go play elsewhere not to bother Santana.

Brittany melted at the sight. Santana had fallen asleep. To be honest, she had passed out pathetically. The spoon still stuffed her mouth, the TV was playing without anybody to watch it. Chloe was gone, probably for a while since Santana had seemingly made herself very comfortable before nodding off. She had kicked her shoes off, the pair carelessly lying on the ground. She had put some cushions under her knees to ease her back, and had cleared three quarters of the new ice cream carton. By some sort of miracle, she was still holding the carton of melted cream threatening to drop on the cover she was curling under.

Enamoured, Brittany grabbed the container and put it away. The next step was a tad riskier. She very carefully held the spoon, got rid of the clenching fingers, while managing to keep it firmly inside the Latina's mouth. She felt like a thief stealing a diamond, using cat-like smooth gestures not to wake her up. Santana barely moved, way too lost in her resting paradise.

The household remained quiet until later that night. Brittany reverently prepared everything the family might need to recover from the emotional rollercoaster that day had been. She had time to feed Sophia her dinner, make some popcorn and start a movie without Santana ever surfacing. She heaved her wife's knees to sit on the couch right next to her. She gazed at her stroking her legs over and over again as Sophia was completely absorbed by her movie. A perfect night. That night was just sheer perfection. They finally were back to their old selves, a happy and peaceful family. They were enjoying a moment at home because they wanted to, not because they couldn't go anywhere because of chasing paparazzi. Finally, they had control back. Thankfully, they had it all back. Sheer happiness was calling for them, and nothing else.

Santana grumbled, waking up was actually painful considering the marvel this nap had been. She needed time to figure out where she was and if she was still in the same century as before. She rubbed the bridge of her nose, bracing herself to open her eyes. Sitting on the ground right next to Brittany's feet, Sophia heard the subtle movements of her expecting mom.

"You're awake?" she hurried under Brittany's tender smiles.

"Hm?" Santana groaned, feeling like she'd been punched in the face.

"Mama, I have a question!" Sophia stood up in no time, determined to put an end to that disturbing milky case.

"What question, babydoll?" the brunette attempted at opening her eyes.

"The milk you'll give to the babies, how do you make it?"

Yup, punched right in the face. Santana stared for long seconds, her brain - still just waking up - had a hard time understanding the question. She peeked at Brittany softly giggling and back at Sophia waiting for her answer as if her life depended on it.

"Mama! The milk! How do you make it?!"

"_Ugh,"_ Santana faked falling asleep again. Waking up was actually a terrible idea. Brittany couldn't contain her laughter any longer. They'd start their new happy and carefree life tomorrow.


	14. The Thief

Santana stared at Damian, Chloe's up-until-now long hidden boyfriend. She scrutinized from the side bench while rubbing her stomach. He was tall, thin - puny, even - with messy hair which Santana couldn't tell whether it was straight or curly. It was just a blonde, maybe ginger mass of hipster locks. Did he know how to use a comb? He was scratching the small beard of one who hadn't shaved for several days. He was waiting for his girlfriend to come save him and give him something to do that Sunday afternoon on a football field.

"So... You're like, Chloe's boyfriend," she tried awkwardly to converse.

He scratched his head, nervous. "Seems so..."

"And you're here because...? Don't get me wrong, I'm happy you're here. We've been hearing about you for years! I'm just surprised to actually see you."

"Yeah, it's just that I'm not really into meeting families, you know. But at some point, I guess I don't really have a choice..."

"Oh, so it was you who didn't want to meet us? Chloe kept saying she wasn't ready."

Damian wanted to hurt himself. "No! That's not what I meant, it's just that Chlo' and I are pretty serious now so you know... We gotta do real stuff. Not just... well, you get it." Could he be any more awkward?

Santana grinned. "So we can count on you to help at Sophia's birthday?" His eyes went wide, his face turned white. "I'm just kidding," she laughed. "We kid a lot in the family, you better get with the program, dude."

"How come your hair isn't combed?" Sophia blurted, swaying her legs playfully on the bench between her mother and grand-grandmother. Obviously, staring was included in the Lopez's genes complete birth package. Her mom held her mirth.

Damian cleared his throat, mentally cursing Chloe for having left him alone. Here was he, alone with an inquisitive princess staring at him and her superstar of a mom giggling.

"Because... I like it this way..." he tentatively answered.

"But it looks dirty," the little girl let out, her preciousness at its best.

Santana poked her. "Soph', don't say that."

"But why? It really looks dirty!"

Her mom really had a difficult time containing her laughter. "Yeah I know, but if he likes to have his hair like that, it's his right."

"Alright, alright!" Brittany finally came back from the restroom, poking her sister. The rest of her family grouped, more than ready to start. Damian thanked the heavens for his girlfriend's return, finally putting an end to his suffering. Brittany looked everywhere. "Is everybody here? Yeah? Awesome. So! Welcome to the first Lopez-Pierce family football game," she giggled.

Santana cheered and applauded, thrilled by the occasion.

"Team Pierce: Mom, Dad, Chlo' and Damian, on my right. Team Lopez, Jorge, Gloria, Soph' and I. Come on Soph', come here!" Brittany called all smiles.

The little girl slid off the bench and ran to her Mommy.

"Are we seriously playing against a 4-year-old?" Damian whispered to his girlfriend's ear.

"You don't know that child. Trust no one in this family. No one!" Chloe threatened, her voice almost trembling as the game was about to start.

"But she's... tiny."

Chloe raised an accusing finger. "_No one_."

"But if I hurt her... I don't want to hurt your niece the first time I meet her parents," he worried. He was feeling uncomfortable enough being with them all. No need to add more risky parameters to the awkwardness of the situation.

Chloe was exasperated. They had needed an eighth player for that game Brittany had organized and her sister had literally forced her to bring her boyfriend after years of shyness, chickenry mostly.

Brittany explained the rules to Sophia as she was in to play with the grown-ups for the first time in her entire life. For the sake of the little girl, she simplified the rules. Sophia nodded fiercely, utterly serious as though what her mother was saying sounded like a mission of the highest importance.

Playing against a little girl was more complicated than Damian ever guessed. Each time the Sophia had the ball and he was supposed to stop her, the same inner debate started. Chloe's parents were gesturing to let the little girl pass through and Chloe was theatrically shaking her hands in the air meaning he'd better stop her. But what could he do? The little girl was running with unsteady steps and a ball that seemed too big for her. He couldn't do anything against her. She was... _so small_. You don't tackle such a small human being. You just don't. He let her pass under the applauding of all grandparents and mothers. He let her do once, twice.. until Chloe came and slapped him hard on the shoulder.

"I told you not to let her pass! We're losing, you stupid asshole!" she yelled, the rest of the family laughing at her behavior.

"But she's so freakishly tiny..." he defended himself rubbing the spot where Chloe just hit him.

"I don't care!" Chloe let out. She pointed at Sophia in Brittany's arms, being congratulated for her great effort and all the points she had scored. "_This_ is an abomination. If you don't get your shit together, I swear the only thing that is gonna warm your nights is your left hand," she threatened, death stares for religion.

"Oh no," he almost cried like a girl. "Not my sexy times..."

"Get the girl or no sexy times," she said harsh and deep on her way back to her position before the game resumed.

During the next play, when Sophia was running in his direction, Damian didn't know what to do. His internal needle kept swaying wide between "get the girl" and "no sexy times". As she was entering the danger zone, seconds felt excruciatingly painful. She looked determined, confident and thrilled by her faultless performance until then. He peeked at his girlfriend who was touching her boobs and then mimicking that she'd rip off his head. The message was clear, he had no other possibility than to catch the girl. Sick at heart, he started running after Sophia. He grabbed the ball with a nimble grasp - a sheer miracle, considering his weakling stature.

"WOO-HOO!" Chloe's loud voice pierced through the breeze when Damian finally scored a point.

Busy smoothing his messy hair from the ruffle, he didn't see Sophia running back to him. She was fulminating. He had stolen her ball. He. Had. Stolen... _her ball_. The situation's outcome was pretty clear: put in action what she had learned from her moms. And what her moms had always said what that if someone was physically hurting her, she had every right to fight back. 'Physically hurting her', maybe the concept was still a bit vague for her. However, the 'every right to fight back' part, that, she understood very clearly. Without a second thought, she threw her closed fist at the closest part of Damian she could reach. She used all the strength she had, which was just enough to knock the shit out of Damian's jewels. Taken by surprise - and by pain, the man fell to the ground protectively holding his broken nuts.

"You stole my ball!" Sophia scolded loudly before kicking him right in the ribs.

On the other side of the field, hysteria had settled in. Brittany was laughing so hard that she couldn't stand up straight anymore. Santana was swearing she'd better stop laughing that much before she'd go into early labour. The grandmas were about to piss themselves and the granddads were exchanging proud hugs... their fierce genes had a legacy, without the shadow of a doubt.

Chloe, furious, rushed to her man pathetically shaking on the ground. "But who gave me such an idiot!"

"Man down..." he wept.

Brittany ran despite her insane laughter. "Baby... Don't... don't kick Damian like that!" she tried to civilize herself but heavy chuckles and small tears were ruining any authority she could possible have.

"But he stole my ball!" Sophia defended herself, her honestly exploding in the air.

"She fucking broke mine," Damian complained between his gritted teeth, almost rolling on the grass.

"He didn't steal it, he had to take it! That's how you play the game, baby! I told you he'd try to take it!"

"But... but..." Sophia looked at every face, panicked to have done something wrong. There was a point missing in her logic and she just couldn't put her finger on it. "But... I'm supposed to take the ball to the end of the field! You said I have to take the ball to that spot over there and he stole my ball before I could!" she pleaded with puppy eyes, almost crying.

Her honesty was so heartbreaking that Brittany's laughter restarted with renewed vigor. She had to take support on her knees not to fall. She peeked at Santana, who was wiping her tears, filming with her phone what would be one hell of a great memory.

"That's when you're winning sweetie. But the other team can steal the ball and go the other way, that means we're losing but they can do it. That's the rule!"

"But it's not fair!" Sophia let out shaking her head.

In the meantime, Damian was slowly, very carefully standing back on his feet. Brittany couldn't feel more sorry for him. She rubbed his shoulder. "I'm sorry, I really am! Are you okay?"

"If I don't get testicular cancer, it should be fine..." he said walking like a penguin.

"Mommy, what's a 'testicular cancer'?" Sophia asked all innocent.

Brittany froze gazing at her daughter. She wanted to kiss that face, all innocent and naughty at the same time, the sheer descendant of Santana's best sides.

"Is it a sign? Because me, I'm cutiecorn!" Sophia blurted.

"Capricorn, sweetie. You're capricorn," Brittany corrected, on the verge of crying.

"But Mama said I'm a cutiecorn!" Sophia fulminated. Everything she was doing obviously wasn't good enough, or good at all. The little girl was becoming very frustrated. "I don't want to play anymore! I don't want to talk to you! Mama said I'm a cutiecorn!" she wept, running to her Mama on the other side of the field. "Mama, tell them I'm a cutiecorn!"

Could she resist her daughter? No, definitely no. This time, Brittany had to crouch on the ground not to fall out of such intense laughter.

- o -

"You should have seen Sophia yesterday! She kicked him right in the balls, like, right in the damn fucking balls," Santana couldn't stop laughing. She just couldn't get enough of her daughter's impromptu comedian talent.

"Oh man..." Eddie chuckled while waiting for Brittany to come back from the fitting room of his designer's office.

"She was so amazingly cute, with her tiny closed fist targeting on his dick with all her strength. I swear, she broke him, he was rolling in the grass," she roared.

"If he ends up sterile, we'll know why," Brittany shouted jokingly over the curtain.

"How's this one? Better?" Eddie inquired.

"Kinda..." she said pushing the curtain open. She walked awkwardly back to the sofa where her wife and friend were sitting, obviously trying to get used to the huge gown she had on. "It's too long though."

Eddie stood up in a hurry, resuming working. He helped closing the dress, arranged it, pulled on it to find a great length. "Yeah but that's not a problem. We can cut it there so it falls right at your feet. It could be nice with nude pumps."

Santana smiled wide. "You look hot, babe. I love blue on you," she cheered, lazily making her shoe sway on her toes.

Those fitting sessions, Santana had experienced them hundreds, maybe thousands of times. She was watching the scene quite amused, feeling like a little girl playing dress-up dolls with her wife. Brittany however, that was another story. She was being fitted for these kinds of dresses for only the second time, the first being her own wedding.

"I can't believe I'm going to the Golden Globes," Brittany breathed out, rolling her eyes while pulling on the corset of her blue gown.

"Yeah and then the Oscars!" Santana teased, beaming.

"Oh shut your mouth, I'm not going to the Oscars."

"Hell yeah you're going or my name's not Santana Pierce," Santana coughed.

"So we also need a dress for the Oscars?! Because this new information changes everything! You can't wear that to the Golden Globes if you're going to the Oscars after!" Eddie panicked.

"Why not?" Brittany frowned.

"Ah-ha! See? You've admitted it! You're so going!" Santana started, pointing at Brittany. "Or you'd have said something like 'but I'm not going anyway', gotcha Blondie!"

Brittany looked to the heavens smiling.

"You can't because you have to go crescendo! The Oscar dress must be breathtaking. This one is just "looking good girl', we need 'wow' for the Oscars."

"And what would be 'wow' on me?"

Both Santana and Eddie looked at the last dress Brittany hadn't fitted yet, a beige gown all made in pearls and silk. Both pointed at the same time to the same dress. "That one," they let out in unison.

"Okay..." Brittany walked back to the fitting room, wondering what kind of sorcery was fashion to get both of them so hooked on... _Dresses_.

"When is the ceremony anyway?" Eddie inquired. "The Golden Globes, I mean. I sort of lost track of time with Lindsey."

"Mid-January."

Eddie cleared his throat. "Isn't fitting now for January a bit early?"

Santana snorted. "If you knew what the next few months look like for us so far, you wouldn't say that November is too early... We have a huge b-day for our baby girl to plan, Christmas, my baby-shower, the twins' room to finish, and I'm just talking about home stuff. Britt has the whole interview tour to do, the Golden Globes to prepare for, and then the Oscars, then the post-Oscars because we know she'll win it all-"

"Santana please, don't say more... Just don't. It makes me feel dizzy..." Brittany complained from the fitting room, obviously beyond overwhelmed by the busy schedule ahead of them.

"So yeah, we better kill some of the work right now. Not to mention the fact that I'll probably be out of order by February or March," Santana finished around a smile.

"I can understand that," Eddie breathed out. "But hold on, we have to get dresses for you too!"

"Hold up speedy gonzales, before you exhaust my woman more than she already is with your fashion stuff!" Brittany almost threatened exiting the room. "She's not coming."

He frowned. "What? You're not going to your wife's recognition-fest?" he inquired, raising an eyebrow.

Santana didn't dare answering. She just pointed at Brittany with the look of one who had long since given up.

"Oh no. I don't want her to come," Brittany stated readjusting her dress in a mirror.

"You're not serious," he breathed out.

"She's dead serious. She ordered, or very clearly _commanded_ that I stay home and in bed, _of course_," Santana sniffed.

"But I told you, you'll be so much better off in bed with a carton of ice cream than in a tight dress on uncomfortable seats," Brittany defended her point of view.

"Listen, I don't want to argue in front of Eddie, so we'll leave it at that, thank you," Santana said bitterly looking away.

"Anyway..." Eddie refocused the conversation on the task at hand. "What about that one? I think it's gorgeous," he sang arranging the dress.

"I like it, a lot," Brittany admitted looking at herself in the mirror. "What do you think, love?"

Santana scratched her neck. "I think it's great but you're lacking one major accessory..."

"Jewelry, definitely long earrings," Eddie cooed. "Or we play it minimalist-chic and we go with just a wonderful ring-"

"I'm not taking my wedding ring off," Brittany stopped harshly.

"But it's just for a few hours!" It was not conceivable for Eddie to sacrifice sheer perfection over a bit of metal, no matter our sacred it was.

"You take my ring, I take your life," Brittany threatened. Eddie burst out laughing.

"She's not kidding," Santana blurted around a smirk.

"I'm not kidding," Brittany confirmed, dead serious. A heavy silence settled in rhythmed by Eddie's glances on each woman. The man swallowed thickly.

"Anyway... I was thinking about something more exotic..." Santana filled her voice with suspense.

"Like what?" Eddie inquired.

An assistant stormed into the studio, pushing the door open with a hip move and carrying a tray with the ice cream Santana had been craving. They barely acknowledged her, lost in their conversation.

"Like me! Wouldn't you look perfect with me on your arm?" Santana pushed teasingly.

In a cat-like move, Brittany caught the spoon buried in the iced mountain the assistant brought. She stuffed it in her wife's mouth, almost making her choke.

"You're not going," Brittany drove the point home with black eyes, clearly indicating that it would be ice cream and bed for Santana, nothing else.

- o -

Damian pushed Chloe in front of him while passing the front door of Santana and Brittany's apartment. He pushed her like a shield. The children's laughter escaping the door were not good news. Not good news _at all._

"You're completely overreacting, they are just kids!" Chloe complained.

Damian frantically looked everywhere around him, ready to make a diversion if a child was dangerously running in his direction. "If you want to have kids one day, I gotta protect myself in the danger zone."

"She hit you one time during a game, it's not like she's saying hello by cracking your nuts," Chloe rolled her eyes.

"Auntie Chloe!" Sophia yelled as soon as she caught sight on them coming in through the crowd of children here to celebrate her fourth birthday.

"Abort mission, abort mission, terrorists in sight!" Damian rushed out through the still open door.

Chloe forcefully pulled him back in. "Hey bug, look who's here for your birthday! Uncle Damian! Give him a hug, baby girl!"

Thrilled, Sophia ran to him like a torpedo. Chloe peeked behind her, the man seemed to make his last prayers. The little girl crashed against him and hugged tight, head first in his legs.

"See, everybody's safe!" Chloe let out all lightly.

Damian breathed out, reassured that the little girl wasn't a complete devil. He relaxed and started to walk towards the living-room. Yet something kept it from doing it. Something like a little girl holding with all her strength on his leg. He tried to shake his leg but Sophia was fiercely holding onto it.

He poked Chloe. "Houston, we got a problem!"

"What are you doing, baby girl?" Chloe crouched and tried to pull her out.

"I'm playing the koala and Uncle Damian is the tree!" Sophia let out all playful.

Chloe laughed. "Come on Mister Bamboo, bring the koala in!" she joked diving the crowd.

Santana rushed - well, "rushing" might be a little too optimistic a word - she came in as quickly as her pregnant body allowed, a snail's pace. "I told you to stop playing the koala with everybody, you can only do that with Abuelo!" she crouched as low as she could to unglue her daughter.

"But why?!" Sophia complained.

"Because I said so! Come on, go play with your friends and leave that poor Damian alone!" she pushed her in the running crowd. "Thank god you're here, I need your help!" Santana breathed out.

"Why? The party's in chaos already?" Chloe mocked looking at little kids running all around them.

"No! Your sister..." Santana said, pulling the trio aside before Brittany could catch sight of them.

"What's the problem?" Chloe frowned.

"We got into a fight again, because of the Golden Globes-"

"Seriously? Again! I don't know what your problem is, guys!" Chloe sighed. It felt like the hundredth time that they were having the same conversation. "We have tried everything to make her change her mind but she-does-not-want-you-to-go," she rapped out, tapping in her palm at each new syllable.

"Yeah I know, but I found a way to make her change her mind!" Santana pleaded.

Chloe took a step back. Considering how stuck on her position her sister had been, only a massive catalyst could engender such a complete turnaround. She raised an accusing finger, already fearing what she was about to hear. "What way?"

Playful, she bit her lip and indicated Chloe to come closer. Her "way" was a secret Damian should not hear. Too curious to function, Chloe agreed on listening. She bent, Santana whispering the lowest she had ever done. Santana barely said three words that Chloe was already pulling away.

"NO! No, no, no! No, Santana! _No!_" Chloe fulminated. "How can you even think about something like that? Do that to your wife! Huh..." she paced around the entrance. "After all that happened!"

"Come on! Don't be such a drama queen!" Santana laughed.

"Ain't no drama queen here, Santana! This plan...it's just plain bad! Bad, it's just bad!"

"That's rich, coming from you! Remember how you tried to poison me with tuna to prove you knew I was pregnant?" Santana sniffed.

"Yeah but I knew you wouldn't eat it! That... that's just... no. I don't think that's worth enough for a party."

Santana came closer, pleading. "The Golden Globes, Chloe... The Golden Globes... This isn't just a party, it's a wonderland..." she cooed.

"And she says I'm the drama queen here," Chloe blurted in Damian's direction. He shrugged, a bit lost.

"Chlo', Chloe, listen..." Santana begged, grabbing her sister-in-law's arm. "I _needz_ my minute of glory, okay? I need it! I just do!"

"You need the photographers and the flashes?" Chloe spat cynically.

"No, not that but I need the gown, and the hairdo, and the interviews... and people screaming my name," she begged endlessly, eyes shining like diamonds. She would have knelt if she could. "I need my minute of glory, Chloe... When I came back to the stage few months ago, it was just..." Santana gestured she had no words. "I realized how much I missed it. There had been a hole in my heart," she dramatically drummed in her chest, "After all these years I see it now. I need it. You have to have my back on this one. You must help me. I can't do it alone or she'll bite my head off."

"And she'd have every right to do so!"

"Chloe, dead serious, please... I'll do anything..."

Chloe straightened herself, suddenly much more interested. "Anything?"

"Anything!" Santana cracked a reassured smile. "I don't know what else I can do..."

"Boys or girls or one of each?" Chloe defied with a chin move.

Santana breathed out, "anything but that..."

"Then I can't help you," she let out heading inside.

Santana pulled her back by the arm. "A clue, that's all I can give you, a clue."

Chloe debated innerly. "What kind of clue? Because if it's like last time and you're fucking "the clue is: rabbits run in flowery grass", I'm so out. Because that shit makes no sense!"

"They're dizygotic twins," Santana let out as if she was taking her last chance. Chloe frowned. "They're not identical."

Chloe felt a wave of heat flush on her cheeks. That was indeed valuable information. She instantly calmed down. "So... you're underlining they're one of each?"

"No, that has nothing to do with that. I'm just saying that you'll probably be able to distinguish them right away since they're not identical, whether they are boys or girls or one of each. This is the best I can give..."

"Yeah but it's like raising all probabilities now... Like before, there was more chances for them to be boys or girls, but now... it's like there's no limits! They can be anything!"

Santana shrugged, feeling stuck at a dead-end. "Okay, listen, another clue. Listen carefully: Queen Sophia has to order new outfits for her servants," she said in a very clear voice.

"_Queen Sophia has to order new outfits for her servants... Queen Sophia has to order new outfits for her servants..._" Chloe grumbled, pondering on each word. She turned around in a hurry and poked Damian. "Help me! _Queen Sophia has to order new outfits for her servants,_ what does that inspires to you?"

"Nope, niet, I'm out of your biz, I already got my babies kicked, I'm not in it!"

"You're still traumatized over that?" Santana chuckled.

"Yes, very much so," Damian confirmed frankly. Now that he'd been around this family several times, he was feeling more comfortable around Santana, comfortable enough to speak openly.

"Boys!" Chloe started. "She has to buy new outfits because they're boys! They can't use hers, that's it!" she turned around dangerously fast to face her boyfriend. "That's right? Boys, huh? What do you think?"

"Maybe she has to buy more because her own aren't enough for two though," Damian teased in the back.

Her train of thoughts broken, she jabbed him in the ribs. She faced Santana back. "Boys, they're boys?"

"I can't validate or invalidate that information without Brittany's consent," Santana shrugged, obviously feeling guilty, about to cross a line her wife wouldn't forgive easily.

"Fair enough... So do we do your thing now, in front of..." she gestured the crowd of kids and parents.

"My idea was to wait for us to be in the same room alone, probably later when everybody leaves and then... _action_."

"Okay, I'm in," Chloe nodded and both women dove into the crowd.

All during the party, Chloe had kept glancing at Santana. Both had a nasty reputation to maintain, their jokes and pranks kept proving they were mastering witchcraft even more every year. Yet, the one they were planning was dangerous. It seemed wicked, it seemed so wicked. Nevertheless, it was obvious there was some coldness between the two moms despite the glorious event that their daughter's birthday party had turned out to be. Chloe just didn't know who was the one stepping out. Brittany with her way too excessive protectiveness or Santana with her terrible ways? Both were in their right yet both were doing wrong.

Chloe observed the party going from one corner of the room, like a detective trying to analyse the scene. And the show was actually bittersweet. Brittany was doing everything, she was taking care of the children crowd on her own, served people on her own, did everything on her own. Each time Santana was trying to do something, Brittany was there to stop her right away. All she was allowed to do was sit on a sofa and chat with parents. That was it. Sipping her orange juice like vodka, Chloe was thoughtful. She wondered when her sister had become so protective. Oh she had always been, but this Brittany wasn't the normal one, she was way too scared. It hadn't taken long to Chloe to understand where it all came from. Brittany hadn't seen - or had refused to see - Santana recover from the car accident. She was still looking after her as if she couldn't do anything. But that nightmare was far behind them, Santana was completely back on her feet and Brittany refused to update.

Now Chloe could understand very well that Santana had no other option. She was doomed not to do anything until the babies' birth. She was probably insanely bored, feeling useless... Her boredom was written all over her face. Anyhow, this situation wasn't good at all, even if Santana could understand her wife's intense care. But eventually, Chloe understood that her sister might have gone too far. It wasn't just a Golden Globes whim, it was a real issue. Yes, they'd have to pursue Santana's plans whatever the consequences would be.

Hours later, Barry's family was the last to leave, obviously. The little boy was very sad. With Christmas just over a week away, he wouldn't get to see Sophia during the holiday break. The adults would be too busy with grownup stuff to care about a 4-year-old boy's sad heart.

"Can you call me after Santa Claus gives you your presents? You can tell me what you got," Barry offered, standing on the doormat like a poor little man way too sad to go without a last word.

Sophia nodded furiously. "Sure! And you can tell me what you got too!"

"I'll miss you," Barry admitted, looking at her shoes.

All four parents tried to keep their 'aww' quiet. Sophia came closer to him and gave him a kiss on the cheek. she rushed back inside and hid behind Brittany's legs all flustered.

"Come on lucky boy, now you got your kiss, can we go?" Arnold teased jokingly.

Cheeks crimson tainted, Barry agreed and followed his dad in the outside hallway. "Goodbye," he shook his tiny hand in the air.

"Have a great Christmas," Eddie cheered, the family almost already gone.

"Yeah you too!" Brittany shouted before closing the door. "You really like him, don't you?" she inquired all smiles at the little girl hiding against her.

Sophia bit her lip in a very Santana-esque fashion and remained silent.

Santana crouched to face her despite her wife trying to stop her, because you know... '_I don't want you to harm your back/I'm just crouching, Britt/Sometimes it doesn't take more than that to get stuck!'_

"Soph', when you don't see Barry for a while, just like after summer holidays, what does it do when you see him again?" she asked softly, way too curious about her daughter's love life.

"Like on the first day of school?" Sophia inquired.

"Yeah!"

Sophia mimicked fireworks in her tiny stomach. "It does like that, boom boom boom!"

"Aww she's in love!" Santana sang, looking up at Brittany.

The blonde barely acknowledged her, embittered by the fact she was crouching dangerously low. Santana sighed. Protectiveness might be a good thing, but at this point it was ruining everything. She had enough but she kept it quiet, as usual. She stood up taking support from her wife's arm. Brittany left for the kitchen immediately pretending she had dishes to clean.

Santana glanced at Chloe, she was more than ready. Whether he liked it or not, Damian's mission was to keep Sophia busy. In the kitchen, the message was clear, Brittany had something against Santana. The blonde focused her eyes down on her dishes and only checked what was Santana doing out of protective routine.

The latter discreetly poked Chloe, the plan was in full motion. She went to grab a glass of water that she started sipping in front of her wife. When Brittany set her eyes back to her dishes, Santana walked to the central table of the kitchen. She peeked one last time at Chloe, dying at the other side of the room. Chloe nodded approving that she'd get her back. Santana silently made the water of her glass run against the inside of her leg, a small puddle forming at her feet. She put the glass back on the table in a soundless move. She took a sick position, one hand holding on her stomach, one hand holding on the table. She took a deep breath.

"Ugh!" she faked loud surprise.

Brittany immediately turned around and let everything fall when she caught sight of the clear puddle. Santana's water couldn't break right now, it was too soon, months too soon. "My babies!" she rushed hands in front.

Santana straightened right away and grabbed the empty glass on the table. "And that's all it takes, one little second for my water to break. Five minutes for an ambulance to come fetch me and five more minutes to get to the hospital. Less than fifteen minutes in all."

Brittany stayed there, dumb. Her brain didn't manage to connect all the information.

"And how long would it take for you to... _finally_ join me at the hospital for _our_ children' birth? At least one hour," Santana kept going. "A good five minutes for me to get a staff member, a good ten minutes more for her to find you in the crowd, supposedly you're not on stage, what would add your speech length to the equation, plus ten more minutes for you to leave the concert ball, and a great forty minutes to drive through the entire city."

"What?" Brittany started to realize it was a trick. "What are you d..."

"If you're going without me, and if I go into labor and you're not here, I'd be alone for at least one hour."

Brittany breathed out, dumbfounded. "Did you just..." her hands gestured the little puddle. "Why would you do that to me?! Do you want me have a heart attack or what?!" she enraged.

"I want you to realize how insane you are!"

"Me?! I'm not the insane one in here, you just faked your water breaking to go to a fucking ceremony!"

"I don't care about the ceremony, I'd like you to care about me!" Santana yelled.

"What?!" Brittany took a step back, perplexed. "You're all I care about!"

"You care about the babies, not me," Santana stated coldly.

Brittany's eyes widened. This just made no sense. She rubbed her face, trying to comprehend. "This is a fucking joke."

"If you cared about me, you'd try to make my life easy and happy-"

"This, this is a fucking joke!" Brittany fulminated.

"You just don't care about my happiness, all you care is about the babies' safety," Santana accused.

"But you're pregnant! What else do you expect from me?!" Brittany defended herself. "Let you go exhaust yourself and go into early labor?"

"Yeah, I'm pregnant, not sick! I can't keep living my life doing nothing because this is exactly what my life is made of right now, _nothing!_ And it's all because of you!"

Brittany gasped, cut to heart. She untied her apron and furiously threw it on the table. "I will not trade anything for the babies' safety and too bad if that means you're bored," she stated coldly and left the kitchen, raging.

Santana breathed out. She had just planted the seeds she wanted. Now, it was all in Chloe's hands. She turned around, glanced at the young blonde.

Chloe nodded and headed out: she'd do her part of the deal, she'd talk to her. "Brittany! Brittany, wait!"

She ran after her through the whole apartment, slid herself in her bedroom before Brittany could slam the door closed. Her sister kept pacing around the bed.

"Britt, you can talk to me," Chloe said with her most softest voice.

"I don't care about her, that's basically what she just said to me!" she wept. "She says this all the time... I do care about her! God, she's my life! How could she say that!"

"She's... You're too protective, Britt... You need to give her space, she's going crazy with this," she tried to sound not too accusing.

"I know I might be a little too caring but we almost lost them once, it's just... I'm afraid that something will happen to them, to the three of them."

Chloe came closer and started rubbing her sister's shoulder. "I understand, but you just have to give her some space. Let her do things, let her come to the Golden Globes..."

"But people will harass her with questions and pictures and..."

"She wants to go because she misses the spotlight, and mostly, she wants to go with you because it'll be an important day, for you."

Brittany walked to the window and stared at the cars passing by. "Do you really think I'm too caring?"

Chloe let out an embarrassed sigh. "Yeah, I think it's a tad too much. I think Santana just wants to feel like a woman for once, not just a pregnant mother."

Brittany crossed her arms, feeling cold.

"Let her live her life how she wants, she won't harm herself. She would never hurt the babies, you know that..." Chloe tried softly, almost whispering by coming closer to her. "Trust her more. And if you feel she's crossing a line, talk but don't dig your heels like that."

"But everything I do is to protect my family. It's all for them," Brittany wept looking over her shoulder. "That's my job in this house, to protect them, to love them."

"I know! Nobody's saying the contrary, nobody's saying that you don't love them! All we're saying is that you need to chill a bit. You don't have to be so tense all the time."

She couldn't help herself, Brittany thought about all the scary and and horrible moments these past few months had brought. Blood on Santana, bandages, healing wounds... Her mind had been swept away with the stress. She kept thinking further and further. How hard getting those children had been, all the tears it had included. Santana's depression, how Brittany herself had tried to keep Santana's head out of the water when Alma had left her behind. Her own stab... All the pressure came down on her hard. All at once. Brittany let her tears flow, releasing her stress.

"How could I chill!" she almost pleaded. "With all that we've come up against, it seems unending! I just keep waiting for next round to come without knowing what it'd be..."

Chloe pulled her into a tight hug to stop her panic from spreading. "Hey, hey... shhh."

"I'm just so scared. Life scares me, and it's even worse now that she's pregnant. She seems... so fragile... I just don't want the next round to be about her, or them. I'm tired of worrying..."

"Trust Santana, she knows what she's doing. She doesn't need a bodyguard, she needs her wife, just as your kids do and will need a mother. You're not supposed to take all the stress on your shoulders. We're a large family and a team. We're all here for that. Whatever ever happens, we're gonna stick together, you know that," Chloe reassured around a light voice.

Brittany pulled away and stared, wiping her tears with her sleeve. "Yeah, sure but still... I guess the further Santana goes into her pregnancy, the more stressed I become."

"That's why you should take some pressure off right now or you'll explode! Talk with her, she's willing to talk, it's you who's stubborn here."

"Did you talk with her? What did she say?"

"She feels useless, she wants some adrenaline. I supposed she wants to fully live her pregnancy," she smirked.

"Why reading doesn't give her adrenaline..." Brittany cracked a smile despite all her stress.

Chloe relaxed. Finally, her sister seemed to hear what she was saying. "Wearing a gown and shiny jewelry will do that. And it's not exactly an extreme sport either," she joked.

Brittany shyly chuckled. "Caring about her is an extreme sport, it has always been."

"Britt, sis, I love you, I really do, but you forbade her to sit on a chair today because you feared it'd be bad for her back. A chair, Britt, that was just a chair... You are the one making your life complicated here."

"Maybe..." she shrugged. "I'd do anything for her. I gave her my life, I can't believe she thinks I don't care about her."

"Hey, she was just trying to make you understand. I'm sure she doesn't really think that."

"I do everything for her, I'm almost broke and-"

"Hold on, since when you're broke? Because of the car you bought? You guys are fucking rich! Since when can't you afford a car?"

Brittany bit her inside cheek. "Did I say that? Slip of the tongue..." She shrugged sadly.

"Why don't you go smooth the rough edges with her?"

"You're right... I should go do that."

"Yeah, do it now. Don't let it get worse."

"Thanks, sis..."

"Anytime," Chloe poked her. "But listen to me next time, that'd save you from your wife faking early labor," she joked.

Brittany nodded and headed out, determined to find Santana. The latter was cleaning the kitchen floor, activity her wife would have forbid right away. She gasped when she caught sight of her, fearing a furious comment.

It was hard to do, but Brittany crossed her arms and leaned against the doorframe. She smiled tenderly.

"You... you want to do it?" Santana asked like a child being scolded.

"No, keep doing it. And then, we'll make an appointment with Eddie to find you a dress for that damn ceremony."

Santana's jaw dropped to the ground. "I'm going?"

"But I'm not letting you out of my sight. I want you on my arm all night," Brittany compromised.

Thrilled, Santana let her floorcloth fall. "I'm going!" she started all smiles.

"You're going," Brittany cooed.

Holding on her stomach, Santana rushed and pulled her into a long lasting kiss, speaking volumes about how relieved she was. She collapsed in her wife's arms, in love.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you! I promise, I'll be wearing flats and I'll take a huge nap before and after-" Santana ranted.

Brittany grabbed her face to stop her right away. "Shh... All of this sounds good but, I think we need to talk..."

Santana nodded. She didn't know what Chloe had told her wife, yet she already guessed the topics of the day.

* * *

I'm so, so, so sorry that it took me so long to write that f*$$# chapter! I hope you're not mad at me and most importantly, that you liked it! Let me know!


	15. The Celebration

Hello! I'm sorry about last night, I posted the wrong file! This chapter is all clean from the betaing, you can read it as usual :) I'm sooooo sorry!

* * *

Brittany walked along the aisles of a shop with a shy smirk on her lips. Insanely proud, she was choosing Sophia's first books. Of course the little girl already had books, which her moms had always read to her or helped her to do so. This time, Brittany had decided to buy some for Sophia to read on her own, with more mature stories_ - her books_ that her moms wouldn't touch at all. She wanted Sophia to feel grown-up, to feel responsible. Their daughter had numerous toys, music instruments, dolls and princess castles. Brittany wasn't interested in getting her new toys. All she wanted to give her daughter for Christmas was the feeling of being the eldest. She wanted her daughter to be bitten by the feeling of being the alpha of the pack - forming within her Mama's belly - an alpha who was proud of reading on her own, who could count to 20 without any help. Brittany was already guessing how thrilled their studious daughter would be when she'd find those books all wrapped, a high pile with a watch on top. Because that's what grown-up girls do, they read time on a watch.

She filled her basket with books, again and again, enlarging the future pile under the Christmas tree.

"Honk honk, make room for me!" Chloe kidded as she headed quickly toward her sister, arms loaded with presents. She let everything fall in her sister's back, under Brittany's wide eyes.

Brittany adjusted her hold on the basket, it was weighing way more now. Curious, she peeked flickering through all the items. "A macbook, Ipads, Iphones... "Are you buying stuff for a kids in needs' school or?" Brittany breathed out.

"Nope! Damian's parents. I'm kinda trying to seduce them you know, so they like me?" Chloe tried, biting her lip.

"And how are you gonna pay for this?" Brittany cracked a smirk, knowing about her sister's financial situation.

Chloe let out a nervous chuckle. "Yeah about that... I was pretty much counting on you to be honest..."

Money wasn't a problem for Brittany and Santana. At least, Chloe thought so. It wouldn't be the first time her sister gave her a little boost for Christmas gifts so why would that change this year?

Brittany looked in the basket again, but this time she was much more interested. She looked at every single item, counting in her head how expensive all that would be.

"Chlo'... There's at least $2- if not $3,000 dollars worth of stuff in here!

Chloe softly swayed, her body begging. "Yeah I know... But we only need to do this once you know. When they love me, it's all good. And I can participate! I'm not asking to pay for all of it! I can give you money every month to pay you back..."

"How much do you have?"

"Right now?" Chloe coughed embarrassed. Brittany nodded, a hard look on her face. "$200? $250, maybe? Please, please, pretty please! I swear I'm gonna pay you back! I start my internship in January, remember? I'll have a better paycheck, I'll be able to pay for this. I swear it's just a loan, for a couple of weeks. Please?"

Brittany sighed. She couldn't really tell her sister that her own bank account was almost empty. Chloe would ask questions and right now, Brittany couldn't afford questions at all. Questions meant talking, meant secrets because Santana should not hear about Brittany's financial issues. She was broke and it was secret nobody was to know about. Not even her parents, nobody. She was waiting for her royalties to fill the void of her bank account, she'd just had to hold on for a few weeks. But in the meantime, nobody should know, not even Santana.

She had no choice, especially not since her sister was offering to pay her back later. Her shoulders fell a little. "Okay..."

Chloe jumped on her feet and hugged her sister right away. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

Embittered, Brittany parted. "Can we go now or you want to buy the shop as well?"

"I have everything I need!" Chloe confirmed, beaming.

At the cash desk, Brittany couldn't stop staring at all the items her sister had chosen. She swallowed hard when she caught sight of the total, six evil digits flashing on a small screen.

"$3,199.95, Mrs," the cashier announced.

"Yeah I saw..." Brittany internally cried while looking for her wallet in her bag.

She stared numb at the sight of her credit cards. Her own was useless. Feeling blue, she pulled the card from her and Santana's joint account. She didn't have a choice anyway. Either she used "Santana"'s money, or she just couldn't pay. Brittany usually didn't use that card, preferring her own. Her only hope was that Santana wouldn't check their account. Why would she anyway, that account was gold. Thank God, Santana had paid for her own gown for the Golden Globes. Brittany had prayed that she wouldn't be in a curious mood anytime soon, deciding to pay their bank website a visit.

She made her best efforts to hide the card from Chloe, in case her curious' sister's eyes laid on the shameful card. But Chloe had tiger eyes. When the saleswoman handed the card back, her sister burst out laughing.

"Nice touch Britt! Paying your wife's gifts with her own money, wise, very wise!" she slighted mocked.

"I didn't buy anything for her," Brittany cracked a smile, pretending to play into the joke. "It's all for Soph'."

"And this? What might this be?" she grabbed a book, "_101 Tips on Breastfeeding Twins_?"

Brittany said nothing. She snatched the book and pushed it into the depths of a bag. "I bought us a car, I think she can manage a $4 book."

Chloe chuckled, "Fair enough! What did you get her anyway?" she inquired as she was making piles with all the items in plastic bags.

Brittany smiled a little wider, honest this time. "I'm not telling you. You're a snitch," she accused jokingly, mostly to sidetrack her sister's questions. Having Chloe angry at lame accusation was still better than Chloe questioning everything.

- o -

Carla kept staring at Quinn. She was aware of her awkward behavior, but she just couldn't stop. Her affair with Puck had happened something like 15 years ago. It was even older than ancient history itself yet Carla feared she'd try to steal her man anyway. No need to think it through a million times, Carla was jealous. She just was, despite all common sense and strong friendship between all the people around her at the table in a very upscale restaurant, the type she was just getting accustomed to frequenting with her fiancé. Santana, Brittany, Quinn and Puck, these high school friends that had kept their friendship going all along despite fame, fights, family life and adopted children. She felt like an annoying girl nobody wanted here, her jealousy making her forget about all the efforts Puck, Santana and even Brittany were making.

"So next time I see you guys, you'll be married? That's crazy," Quinn said with a friendly laugh, pointing at the engaged couple.

"Yup, and we haven't told you! Santana's officiating the ceremony!" Puck let out all smiles.

"Oh gosh yes, but let's not talk about that," Santana chuckled.

"Why? You don't want to do it anymore?" Carla worried right away.

Santana raised her arm in a friendly gesture, the latter sitting next to her. "No, no! Of course I want to do it, but it probably will be the first time I'd be separated from my twinsies..." she pouted around a shy smile. Under the table, Brittany stroked her thigh, already sharing the same sad feeling.

"Who said you couldn't bring them, guys?" Carla wanted to clear things up right away.

"We said it," Brittany said sighing. "There will be two of them, guys. One, I could manage while Santana officiates, but two... Imagine if they started crying in the middle of the ceremony, I'd be alone trying to calm them. Or worse, if their diapers need changing at the same time, how would I handle it? I couldn't just steal Santana for 10 minutes in the middle of the ceremony."

"But we invited your sister too! Can't you manage with her?" Carla worried.

Santana let out a nervous cry, making everybody look at her. The latter was holding her throat. She was trying to keep her stress from showing.

"No, we already talked about it with our mothers. They'll watch them together, at our place," Brittany stated. "Chloe's good with kids but we're not talking about Soph' right now. We haven't met them yet but I'm sure we're talking about two crying and pooping red potatoes who will probably cry at the same time, request to be fed at the same time and whatnot... Like, I think that you need the patience of a mother to deal with that," she admitted, smiling tenderly.

"Yeah, that makes sense..." Puck said deep in thought, emptying the bottle of wine from its last glass.

Carla made a face, dug her elbow on the table and rested her head on her hand. "That sucks though, I would have loved to see their little cherub faces."

"Believe me, you're not the only one," Santana snorted.

One of the restaurant's waiters discreetly came closer to drop the bill they had request just few minutes before. He passed his arm between Santana and Brittany, figuring that the happy couple would be paying for everybody like they always did.

Brittany internally panicked. She tried to hide her stress, pulling her best casual expression. She waited for Santana to take the bill first, saving her from an embarrassing moment. Her wife was laughing along with the conversation, seemingly very busy. She decided to behave in a similar way, like someone who just didn't care about a restaurant bill as if paying for it was as significant as a drop in an ocean. She refused to even look at the bill, completely ignoring it and paying so much attention to the conversation.

Minutes went by and Santana still didn't pick up the bill. The small paper was still all folded on a small silver plate, mockingly waiting for someone to look at its total. Brittany was determined not to let any of stress appear on her face and she used her almost empty glass of wine as distraction.

Santana jolted a bit on her seat, immediately rubbing her side. "Well, my dear friends, I think that was a message from my bastards telling me we'd better go home before I pass out from of exhaustion," she joked, slightly bending to catch her purse by the chair on the ground.

Brittany relaxed. It was close, so fucking close from making everything explode. "It's been such a delightful evening!" she cheered, suddenly very happy.

"Yeah, that was really great. And how about that wine, I drank it like lemonade," Quinn said drinking the last drops of her glass. She looked at the bottle, reading the brand and the year to remember the origins of such delights.

"If I knew you could sell lemonade for $1,500 the bottle, I wouldn't have started cleaning pools back in the day," Puck laughed.

"Holy shit, that was worth $1,500?" Quinn started.

"Yeah, that's a Pétrus. It's always something like $1,500, or $1,000 maybe?" Puck casually made conversation.

"Oh fuck," Santana let out, looking at her purse. She kept looking for her wallet, placing all the contents of her bag on the table, but it was gone for good apparently. She turned her head in Brittany's direction, an embarrassed expression written all over her face.

"What's wrong?" Brittany worried.

"I gave my cards to Mom this morning and I completely forgot to ask for them back," Santana almost whispered to Brittany.

The blonde feared the unavoidable question with nothing less than terror. She curled her toes, hoping for a miracle.

"Looks like it's your turn to pay, hon," she admitted, putting all her stuff back in. "You really have to remind me to ask my mom to bring them back though, or I'll forget, you know me..."

"But, why did your mom need your cards?!" Brittany barely managed to hide her sudden irritation.

"Britt, come on, the watch! It's their 40th anniversary next month, she wanted to buy Dad a super fine watch but the one she wanted was a bit too expensive for her so she literally begged me to help her 'cause you know, 40th anniversary! It's got to be breathtaking. That's so cute," she explained casually to her friends around tender smiles.

"Of course, the watch..." Brittany gritted her teeth, grabbing her purse.

There wasn't a sea of options in front of her. She'd have to pay with their joint account card again and risk Santana seeing it, or she wouldn't be able to pay at all. She couldn't even pay for the tip, since her bank account had something like $20 still available. She was right about to pass that infamous stage from not having any money to... have debts. In her lifetime, Brittany had experienced many things, depression, sadness, denial, happiness... but if there was one thing she had never experienced was... having debt.

Brittany swallowed thickly. She was stuck, but she was just living out the consequences of some recent choices she'd made. It was time to own up and take some responsibility. She pulled her own credit card from the leather pocket of her wallet, dying inside. She couldn't pay but she would do it anyway. She didn't even peek at the bill, she'd just rather not know about how far her debts would go.

"Hold on, let me get it," Puck bent over the table to pull the bill. "My account is too full lately, let's fix this," he joked; much to Brittany's relief.

"Oh god no, leave it! We can pay for this time, with your wedding and stuff..." Santana insisted.

Brittany looked away. If she'd glance at her, she'd have a really hard time not throwing death looks.

"Woman! Let the man pay for his harem," Puck stopped jokingly under his friends' and fiancé's laughs, peeking at the bill. Only Brittany laughed nervously, thanking all gods for that miracle. "She's got me spending millions just for a party with a white dress. A couple thousand won't make any difference now," he teased winking at his fiancé.

He threw his card on the silver plate and a waiter immediately came fetching it, sealing Brittany's relief. It had been close. So fucking damn close.

- o -

When she woke up, Santana couldn't feel lighter. Christmas was one of her favorite times of the year. Right after her daughter's birthday, she remembered each year the new family going to the Pierce's with a three-day-old Sophia all warmed under layers of clothes. This period was an endless celebration and now everything was clear between Brittany and her, yes, she was ready to enjoy it the best she could.

However, a disturbing reality began to ruin her lovely mood: that noise escaping the wall from the neighboring apartment. Hammering, sawing, it was a whole medley of horrible sounds that wasn't making their Christmas morning a delight _at all_. She grumbled. For quite a few days the apartment next door had been invaded by an army of workers. Oh, she would have gone over to complain if Brittany hadn't stopped her over and over again. Protectiveness at its best, "Don't get angry, it's bad for the babies. I'll go talk to them."

But the house had new rules. Santana was now free to do whatever she wanted as long as it left her good health untouched and it wouldn't tire her more than she already was. Her Lima Heights Adjacent genes had been closeted for way too long, she was finally free to let her loud voice ring again. She pulled herself out of bed, walked into the hallway were the sounds were the loudest, as if they were working right on the other side of the wall.

"Seriously, it's Christmas, go home!" Santana shouted drumming with her closed fists on the end of the hallway's wall.

If the rest of the family wanted to keep sleeping, they should go knock on another door. Brittany soon came at her rescue - supposedly she needed it.

"Do you know who our new neighbors are? 'Cause they'll hear me! They could have come to say hello and apologize for the disturbance! Who are these people, wild creatures or what? A little bit of civilization never killed anyone for god's sake!" Santana couldn't stop complaining, eventually releasing the Latin beast biting her heart.

"Mama! Why are you yelling?" Sophia groused, exiting her room. she was still all sleep, carrying her cuddly blanket and her infamous dog hot on her heels.

"Did they wake you up too?" Santana fulminated. Disrupting her baby's sleep was an unforgivable perjury.

"No, you did!" Sophia accused. "You're yelling so loud that you're gonna scare off Santa Claus..."

Brittany quietly laughed. "I'm sure our neighbor is just finishing something for Christmas. It's probably nothing."

A saw almost deafened them, Santana taking a step back from the wall to protect herself from the high-pitched sounds.

"If they're not breaking our wall, I don't know what they're doing!" Santana let out shouting to cover the sound, already heading to the front door. Brittany caught her by the wrist, forcing her to dig her heels in the floor. "Let me go! It's Christmas for god's sake, I want my peaceful day back!"

"Stay here," Brittany insisted pulling her into a tight hug.

Saying that Santana was confused was an understatement. She stared dumbfounded at her wife's complete inaction in such mad times. "Britt! The fuck?!" she swore even in front of their daughter, the sawing sounds hidden any word spoken anyway.

Smirking, Brittany pulled her family away from the wall. "Move please... Please, don't stay there, it's dangerous," she kept repeating as she positioned her family further in the hallway, a decent distance away from the wall.

As she did, a worker from the other side created a hole in a top corner of the wall, a very clear one that let them see his face. Santana's jaw dropped to the ground.

"Brittany! What the fuckery fuck!" A second hole from a second worker on the other corner. "_My wall!_" Santana shrieked.

But Brittany said nothing. She embraced Santana from behind, holding her close despite the Latina putting up a struggle. A saw clearly cut the wall, leaving a small void in its path.

_"Careful on the other side!"_ a worker shouted.

"Yeah, yeah, go ahead!" Brittany shouted, beaming.

Santana's mouth was frozen opened, eyes flickering between her wife and the wall, stuck in total incomprehension.

"_Alright, 1... 2..._" the worker cheered his team. The wall started to tremble, workers probably pushing on it. "_Annnnd 3!_"

The wall fell flat to the ground like a sheet of paper. In the ruffle, the Pierce's had protected their eyes. Santana was curling into Brittany, Sophia was using her magic cuddly blanket as a shield. Within a second, only the sounds of small particles falling to the ground were left to hear.

Santana looked up, pulling away from the protective hug.

"Merry Christmas," her wife cooed in her ears.

She gasped quietly.

"Mommy, they broke the wall!" Sophia worried.

Brittany crouched and stroked her face. "I know! Merry Christmas, sweetheart." Sophia frowned. "Do you want to see your new room?" Sophia's eyes widened at that new information.

It didn't take long before Santana started inspecting around the broken wall. She peeked on the other side. She caught sight, between the crowd of workers, of a newly decorated apartment. It had the same colors as theirs, the same hallway that seemed to be the simple extension of theirs now the wall was ancient history. She spotted the same baseboards and the same doors. Everything was similar, but new. She turned around in a hurry to look at Brittany.

"Did you...? What the f-?" she just couldn't believe it.

The workers removed broken pieces of sheetrock in a hurry so that the family could pass through without hurting themselves wearing only their slippers.

"There's still some work to be done, they have to completely remove the separation. But once they're done, they'll paint our old hallway and eventually, it will look like there has always been one single apartment. That's what the architect said," Brittany explained, all light. "Come on, let's see our new rooms," she pushed them to pass the opening.

Entering their "new" apartment felt like walking into Ali Baba's cave. Santana touched the freshly painted walls, the scent of the newest coats still filling the air. She couldn't believe it. She just couldn't. She kept glancing back to Brittany, breathing deeply out of astonishment.

"I have a new room?" Sophia asked, in need to be sure that what her mother just said wasn't a trick.

"Yup! You're a big girl now, you're four! You need a new room, a big girl room!" Brittany laughed. "And actually, your room is behind this door," she said playfully tapping on the wood. "You want to see it?"

"Please, please, please, please!"

Santana came closer, breathtaken by such a gift. Sophia gasped when her mother opened the door. There was such a wonderland inside. This new room was at least twice as big as her first one. There was new furniture. A bigger bed, a four-poster bed that wasn't looking like anything less than a sheer princess bed. More toys, bigger toys, more stuffed animals and a basket for Gogo. The little girl felt her tears welling up.

"Hold on, don't cry just yet sweetheart, there's more!" Brittany chuckled.

The mom opened a door to show the dressing room hiding behind it. More clothes, more shoes, princesses outfits to play with, wigs and tiaras. It was a whole room full of wonders. Sophia rushed to her mother's legs and emptied her overwhelmed heart, big tears wetting Brittany's pants.

"Do you like it? Is that what you wished for?" Brittany inquired all smiles.

Her daughter looked up, puffy eyes and trembling lips and nodded fiercely. That was Brittany's favorite expression. When Sophia was crying out of happiness like this, her whole heart and soul were singing endless melodies.

"Do you know Santa Claus? Did you tell him everything I like?" Sophia stammered between cries.

Brittany hushed, a finger in front of her mouth. "Shh, don't tell anyone I know him, it's a secret!"

Sophia hugged her mother's legs back. Her Mommy, she loved her more than anything. She had loved her fiercely but now... Sophia was convinced she was magical. She knew Santa Claus himself, she was nothing less than magical. Her pride had no barrier.

Brittany glanced at Santana standing behind them, standing in the middle of the room completely numb. "Do you like it as well?"

The dumbfounded mom let out a surprised breath, she had no words. Her hands kept switching gestures, from praying to holding her heart.

Thrilled, Brittany kept showing everything. "And behind this door, that's a bathroom," she indicated.

Sophia just couldn't believe it. She had the room she had always wished for. A room like her moms, with a private bathroom and a dressing room, a real grownup room. Suddenly, she felt insanely important and lucky.

"For the moment, you can't use it by yourself because you're still too tiny to take a bath on your own. But at least Mama and I will wash you in _your_ bathroom. How good does that sound?"

Sophia barely had time to swallow her tears before some fresh ones appeared. She hugged her Mommy's legs again. When Brittany's blood circulation was about to stop, Sophia pulled away and dove in her own dressing room, discovering what her "Santa Claus" had imagined for her.

"Do you want _your_ present now?" Brittany cooed in her wife's direction.

Santana was speechless. She nodded, barely feeling her brain functioning. In a flash, Brittany took her hand and they were disappearing in the main hallway leaving their daughter behind. The little girl would be well preoccupied for the rest of the day with her new room anyway. Hand in hand, they walked through the new part of their apartment. Brittany selectively opened some of the doors which revealed numerous guest-rooms with attached bathrooms, a library and even a sauna. Each room was more perfect than the last. Santana didn't say a single word. All she could do was letting deep breaths and gasps escape her mouth. She frantically touched everything, all the textures, the walls, the bed covers, the doors... everything that would help confirming she wasn't dreaming. Brittany kept leading her into each place opening some doors, leaving some closed. There were so many, Santana's head was dizzy. She barely realized that Brittany had an order in mind, showing the less important rooms first to finish with the best.

"Your present's in here," Brittany sang, hand on a doorknob.

"Everything's my present," Santana breathed out.

"Oh no, this one is it, really." she grinned.

Brittany pushed the door and this time, the wood didn't make the same sound as the others. It was... hushed. Santana understood within a second, she knew that sound too well. It was the same sound of her studio's doors, hushed by the heavy soundproofing materials.

"Oh gosh..." Santana's heart shrunk. "You built me a home studio..."

"Ta-dah!" Brittany giggled. "I know it's all empty for the moment, but I figured you'd want to choose your own furniture, you know. It's your place so it's up to you to do whatever you want with it."

"Oh Brittany..."

"Hold on," the blonde rushed to close the door. "Listen," she whispered raising a stopping hand. "Complete silence. I may borrow your room when we'll have three kids setting the house on fire and I have a massive headache," she kidded.

Santana laughed tenderly and came closer to hug her tight. "Thank you, that's wonderful... I wasn't asking for all this..."

"I know, but that's what's magical about gifts. You don't ask for them, they just fall from the skies and you take them. Simple as hello," she winked.

Santana giggled on her own, feeling terribly in love and taken care of - the good kind of being taken care of -. She hugged her again and pulled her into a deep kiss. "You know, this room could be useful for other things..."

"Like what?"

"Like... " she slid her hand under her wife's shirt and stroked the care skin under. "That?" she purred in a sultry voice.

Brittany pulled away a little, feeling tickled. "That too... but not now, I have another gift to show you."

Santana nervously laughed. "You bought the whole building or?"

"Almost," Brittany kidded.

She lead her wife back down the hallway in the direction of their "old" apartment. A crowd of workers were working in the separation between the two spaces. They had a mission, finish it as soon as possible. Brittany wanted both spaces to be reunited and functional for Christmas Day and she wouldn't accept any less than that.

Before they could reach the working team, Brittany paused in front of a door. When the separation would be all erased, it would actually be the room very close to their own. She flushed a little, hoping Santana would love the rest of her surprise.

She took a deep breath, pulling herself together. "It's for them," she admitted in a whisper, stroking Santana's bump.

"A playroom just for the twins?" Santana asked all smiles.

"Sort of... You promise not to be mad at me, even if I made some decisions for both of us?" Brittany asked, a little frown forming upon her eyes.

Santana smiled giddily. How could she possibly be mad at her wife when she basically just created the home of their dreams. "Of course," she sang.

Shrugging, Brittany pushed the door and let her wife enter first. Inside, it was a wonderland. There were two cradles, two changing tables, two cupboards and everything their babies might need to start their lives in the best way possible. The room was all ready. There wasn't a detail left to fix, not one missing item. Santana entered it like she was stepping into the heavens. Everything was such perfection that she couldn't stop blinking over and over again. Unconsciously, she stroked her bump while visiting what was the exact room she had ever wished for them.

Brittany and her had talked a lot about the decoration, long nights spent brainstorming over décor magazines. They had barely started a room for them. They had ordered furniture to redecorate one of their previous guest-rooms, but that was pretty much all they had done. After all Santana was barely 6 months pregnant, they had time. And they still had so much to agree on. They had still been hesitating over the colors. But Brittany decided for both of them: the room would be light green. To be honest, when Santana was looking everywhere around the room, it was obvious that green was the right choice.

She walked to the cradles, the ones they had chosen in the shop three weeks ago that Brittany had pretended wouldn't be delivered until next month. A white lie for her greatest pleasure, obviously. She let her hand wander on the white painted wood. Her eyes travelled on each bed's detail. Brittany had tucked sheets and covers for more emphasis, as if the only thing missing to the room were the babies. A few stuffed animals, cuddly blankets were decorating the cradle's mattress. Santana grabbed one, her heart about to explode. She turned around to face her heaven sent wife, and let out a happy sigh. She had no words, not a single, even less than before. All was just breathtaking. The whole "new" apartment gift, the new room for their eldest, the ones for their newborns, her studio... Just breathtaking.

"I can't believe it..." Santana let out, numb by such a load of happiness.

"Hold on, look," Brittany rushed. She opened a large sliding door on the other side of the room, seemingly offering a great opening to the room next door. She gestured to come have a look. Santana obviously obeyed, rubbing her stomach endlessly.

"I read that twins don't like to be separated so I asked the architect to create a connection between both rooms. So when they are older and want more privacy, they still can open their doors to chat, listen to music, whatever... The other room is almost empty for the moment, I figured we'd decide what we want to do with it together. What do you think?" Brittany inquired as if she was emptying her heart. After all, it was a risky move on her part.

Santana came closer and peeked. As she did, Brittany went to open the second sliding door so her wife could see how great was the opening. There was a small room, like a short yet large hallway. However, with both doors opened, it was just the perfect opening for two people who would like to stay always connected. Santana frowned at what seemingly was another small room between both.

She raised an inquiring hand. "And that, what is it? A dressing room?"

All smiles, Brittany opened the door. "Nope, their bathroom. What will be very useful for us at first, don't you think? No need to run all over the house at 3 in the morning to clean up after a diaper disaster," she joked.

Santana swallowed. There was a double sink, a shower and a tub, small cupboards. Towels were already hung, ready to be used. Brittany had thought about everything. It would be hard to give their twins a better place to live in. Impossible actually. Santana's heart shrunk. She was picturing herself already living a life there. She was already seeing bath toys all over the place, rubber ducks dead on the floor after having been crushed by tiny pitiless hands. It was too good to be true. Way too good.

"I need to sit," Santana breathed out, bracing herself against a wall.

"You're not feeling good?" Brittany worried right away.

"I feel dizzy... I need to sit..."

Brittany walked her through the bathroom, left her against a doorframe and went to pull something under a white sheet.

"Here, my love. It's very comfortable," she said with a reassuring smile as she finished pulling off the sheet.

Under, a huge wooden rocking chair was hiding, enveloped by a cushion fluffy padding. It was too much for the sake of her little heart. Brittany pulled the chair closer so Santana wouldn't have to walk. She helped her take a seat and crouched in front of her, stroking her legs to reassure her.

"Are you feeling better there?" Brittany inquired, all about soft voice and tender gazing. Santana nodded, somehow lost and running out of speech. Brittany relaxed. "It's a nice chair, isn't it? It will be great for nursing. It's large enough for you to hold both babies and your nursing cushion at the same time. Assuming you'd nurse them at the same time, it's of course up to you, but at least you know you can..."

Santana didn't know anymore how to contain her feelings. She started crying, her hormones making everything worse. "I love you! I just do..." she croaked between sudden cries.

"So you like it?" Brittany straightened herself a little to come closer.

Tears ran fast on Santana's cheeks. "Of course I do! This is so... perfect! Way too perfect, everything is, it's just... Ugh..." she almost pleaded, hands opened to the skies. "And now I feel awful because I went crazy on you when I felt you didn't care about me. But this, it's the best kind of caring! What did I do to deserve you?"

"Hey, hey, honey..." Brittany hugged her in a flash to calm her down. "Shh..."

"I can't believe you did that for us, all alone..."

Brittany pulled away and held her wife's face in her palms. "I wasn't alone! My parents know, they're the only ones though. I needed help with the workers so I was forced to tell them. I obviously couldn't be there myself or you'd have figured it out," Brittany chuckled knowingly, thinking about all the times she had escaped to the apartment next door when her family was asleep.

"How did you do? Ugh... I never saw anything... I didn't even know this place was up for sale!"

Brittany rubbed her nose bridge, hiding a smirk. "You're pretty away when you're dead asleep," she chuckled. "I bumped into our neighbor like two months ago maybe? It was right after your accident. It came to me like... a miracle, I don't know. I had the chance to do something incredible for my family, to focus on something other than all my dark thoughts. So I pretty much gave everything I had to buy the apartment, pay for the architect to create the house of your dreams without moving, the workers, the furniture..."

"Oh gosh," Santana shook her head, emotional.

"By the way, I may borrow our joint account to pay for my taxes because I'm broke," she admitted around a shy smile.

"You-... You're broke?" Santana stammered, eyes open wide in astonishment.

"Yup, all the money's gone," Brittany lightly joked.

"But... Your movie's royalties? Are they gone too?"

"No, I lied..." Brittany let out hiding a smirk. "I'll get them in a few months. I'm just... _temporarily_ broke. But I just couldn't wait to give you that present, so yeah... broke."

Santana relaxed, reassured that her wife hadn't just given up everything for them, throwing her own life for their family's happiness. Tenderly giggling, Santana tapped on her shoulder. "I got your back, girl," she kidded.

Brittany laughed, "Yeah, I'm kinda hoping you'll look away when I pull our joint account card instead of mine."

"Don't worry," she beamed. She took a deep breath, realizing everything. It was hard to believe but when it came to Brittany, _nothing's impossible"_. "Can we go see their room again?"

"Of course! You're in your house, you don't have to ask permission," Brittany kidded. "You're feeling better though?"

Santana nodded. "I just needed a second to... process."

She pulled herself together to stand up from that insanely comfortable chair. She stroked the armrests, already picturing herself enjoying that exact chair at 5 in the morning when two hungry babies would request their food. This chair would certainly add some comfort to her late night/early morning duties.

"Oh hold on, look," an idea popped in Brittany's head as she watched her discover her new toy. She rushed to look for something in unpacked cartons. "I received the chair two days ago, I hadn't time to unpack this, I'm sorry... It ruins the surprise..."

Santana laughed, almost mocked. "Oh gosh, unpack away, I'm way too spoiled anyway!"

Brittany unpacked a footrest and put it right under Santana's feet. "There... So you can push on it to make the chair rock a little. It should be the right height."

Santana took her chance and wallowed back in the chair. She pushed as her wife had indicated, the chair creating the perfect little swaying to rock babies on their way to deep sleep. She nervously fidgeted, everything was too perfect, all sheer perfection. If it was possible, Santana would have turned into a river of melted cotton candy.

"Can we put the chair in their room?" she asked, thrilled to put in the right place that jewel missing to their babies' wonderland.

"Sure!" Brittany laughed at her wife's unusual shy tone. "But you don't have to ask, you can do whatever you want!"

The Latina bit her lip, barely getting with the program. "Okay then... I'd like... I'd like the chair to be in their room," her eyes were almost pleading, like a little girl waiting to get her present.

Her wife helped her stand up from the rocking chair and started to pull the piece of furniture through the rooms. Brittany made it slide against the wooden floor of the in between hallway and stopped right in the middle of the future newborns' room. She waited hands on her hips for Santana to indicate where would be the perfect place.

"There," Santana pointed at a corner and immediately pulled her finger back, shy, almost embarrassed. "And... Could we... no, never mind!"

"Tell me, is there anything you'd like to change?"

Santana bit her nails. "That... That little table, can we put it right by the chair? Because I need a table you know, if I need to put something down, or you, if you give them a bottle and you need to put it down to rock them?"

"Sure!" Following the orders, Brittany set the table as Santana wanted it.

_"Make room for S-P-Boom-Boom!"_ Sophia shouted in the hallway, stopping their moms in their arranging.

They rushed to see what was happening. They had barely managed to peer through the door when they spotted their daughter was torpedoing down the new hallway, riding wild on her new scooter.

"Who's S-P-Boom-Boom?!" Brittany laughed.

Sophia stopped right away. She rolled back to her moms. She showed a paper all folded, previously resting on the package of her scooter. She very well recognized her own sister's handwriting.

"Look! Santa Claus nicknamed me S-P-Boom-Boom!" she announced all proudly.

"Sweetie, you could have waited for us to open your presents," Santana smiled tenderly.

"But Mama!" Sophia shrugged nervously. "Christmas presents! You don't make the Christmas presents wait!"

Santana laughed, her daughter obviously offended by such allegations. "Alright! Alright, I'm sorry!" Deciding to play another trick on her daughter, Santana grabbed the little piece of paper and took a falsely serious expression. "But Soph', are you sure this gift is for you? Maybe that was a gift for me and maybe Santa Claus nicknamed _me_ S-P-Boom-Boom..."

Sophia gasped. She kept glancing at her scooter, all about pink metal and trinkets clicking at the handles, not to mention the small size of it all._ "Nooooo!"_ Sophia almost wept, as if her mother was trying to pull her baby away from her. "That's not even your initials! S. for Sophia and P. for Pierce, that's what I write everywhere at school! It's even written on my bag! _Ha_!"

"But S. P. are my initials as well sweetie, S. for Santana and P. for Pierce."

"You're lying! You, you are M. P., M. for Mama and P. for Pierce," she let out, almost threatening.

"Come on Mama Pierce, let's open your presents," Brittany pushed her wife in the hallway, playfully tapping on her butt.

"Oh gosh, my heart can't take any more..." she laughed.


	16. The Dolls

Sophia sound asleep in her mama's arms, Santana realized that it would be one of the last times she'd hold her daughter like this before the babies' birth. The little girl was too heavy. She was resting too hard on her stomach and it was bothering her. Quinn rushed to help her friend unfold the sheets of the little girl's bed so the mother could put her daughter down quickly without struggling.

Once Sophia hit the mattress, Santana couldn't hold back a loud relieved sigh. "There she goes, phew!" she breathed out, already pulling the covers over her.

"You're not going to put her in pajamas?" Quinn inquired gazing at the little girl already far away in her dreams.

"Oh gosh, whatever. It's New Year's Eve. We can make an exception for a special occasion," Santana giggled tenderly.

Santana straightened her back, rubbed it. "Baby girl, I can't carry you around anymore..." she sighed tucking her daughter in the bed.

Asleep, Sophia grabbed her pillow and curled up under the sheets. She stuffed her thumb in her mouth while snuggling her pillow. That was it, she was already drifting far away.

"I think we can leave her now," Santana slightly mocked her daughter snoring. She kept rubbing her back. She still needed a minute. Now they had a new apartment, the way from the living-room to her daughter's new bedroom was one hell of a long path.

"Nice room though, Brittany did a great job!" Quinn said hands on hips, looking all around.

"Dead serious, I still can't believe that she did all this. I'm tucking my daughter in her bed but I feel like I'm tucking her in a super chic hotel room," Santana snorted, on their way out.

"Talk about an emotion shock, huh?" Quinn laughed.

"Yeah... I'll need a few weeks to get used to it," she said turning the light off and softly pushing the door closed. "Hey, what time is it?"

Quinn shook her wrist to uncover her watch. "Still 20 minutes to go to midnight."

Santana smiled wide. "Let me show you something."

"Now? We're gonna be late for the countdown!"

"Come on," Santana insisted, grabbing her friend by the elbow.

They dove in the hallway, that long path that was now the only way out of the maze. Far from them, the party happening in the living room was on fire. The sounds escaping reached them in dull sounds.

"Look at that," she cooed, opening the twins' room door and turning the lights on.

"Holy crap... Oh man," Quinn giggled, taking a path through the sheer perfection this room was.

"Nice, isn't it?" Santana let out leaning against the doorframe.

"She's not joking when it's comes to her family," Quinn teased a little.

"Well, it's a family thing apparently... Look what Sophia gave the babies for Christmas," she moved to open a drawer in the main piece of furniture. She took two little bags out, both of them tied with pretty ribbons. All smiles, Santana took one under her arm and opened the other. "She heard at school that twins were lookalike so she went to work on her toy badge-maker and did this." She took a badge out of the bag, "Bunnies for baby 1 and duckies for baby 2, quoting, "...So you don't forget who they are"," she laughed.

Quinn playfully dug her hand in the bag, enjoying the feeling for dozens and dozens of identical badges slipping between her fingers.

"Such dedication," Quinn chuckled. She took a badge out, a drawing of a duck surrounded by green, printed in hundred copies, stuck on the metal material. "Show me the bunnies, I bet they are cute as hell."

Santana coughed embarrassed. "Nah... You can't. I mean, I'd show them but it's just that... Soph' picked a much more controversial color than green for the bunnies..."

Quinn smiled wide. "I really don't know what you're talking about..." she teased, trying to grab the other bag. She barely could pull on a ribbon before Santana smashed her hand and held the bag closer.

"Leave it!" Santana laughed. "It's already hard enough not to tell, no need to complicate things even more!"

"You chose it, blame yourself," Quinn laughed.

Santana sighed, as if the big secret was becoming too heavy for her. "I want to share, I really do, but in the meantime, I know why we chose not to tell and it just drives me crazy to be stuck between two places like that! The further I go, the harder it becomes!"

"I have a deal for you. I go out there drink my weight in alcohol, you tell me everything and then I forget everything thanks to an amazing and delightful hangover," Quinn joked pointing at the door.

"That's... _temping_, but you won't get me Fabray!"

"Santana! Where are you?!" Carla shouted in the hallway with all the strength her drunken tone could provide.

Surprised, Santana lost grip on the tiny bags. Both fell on the floor, the controversial one pouring on the carpet badges of bunnies swimming in a sea of highly gendered color. Santana gasped, her secret was all in the open. Quinn rushed to crouch in a hurry and put everything back in the bags.

"Santana! Damn, where are you in this fucking maze?" Carla complained.

"Here," Santana answered in a trembling tone.

Carla hurried to the right room, only to find a petrified Santana standing there all numb and lost and Quinn holding her smirk with fierce determination.

"Stop playing mother, it's almost midnight! Kisses under the mistletoe are waiting for you guys, come on, come on!" Carla bossily insisted.

"We're coming in a minute," Santana nodded.

Carla turned back in the hallway, putting her hand in front of her mouth not to burp.

Quinn handed the bags with a sly smile. "Let's go girl, we have a new year full of unknown to celebrate," she said winking.

"You won't tell anyone, you promise?" Santana begged, holding the little bags against her heart.

"Tell what?" The blonde beamed.

"Guys, yo' guys, shut it, we gotta start counting!" someone yelled from the living room.

"Hurry, we're gonna miss it!" Quinn took Santana by the hand.

The latter left the bags on the first piece of furniture and both were in for running in the long hallway.

"10... 9..." people counted in unison.

Both friends dove in the crowd, Quinn looking for her date for the date and Santana trying to find over the people' heads the blonde locks she loved so much.

"There you are!" Brittany yelled despite the noise of people counting.

"4... 3..."

Brittany rushed to hold her wife, held in the air a branch of mistletoe and already lowered her head to kiss. "Ready?"

Santana smiled wide.

"1... and... Happy New Year! Woo-hoo!"

The blessed couple snuggled in each other arms and lip-locked with all their love. This new year would bring a lot of happiness. They were already loving the future memories that new year was promising. First breaths, first cries, first looks, first smiles, and maybe first words escaping those two new faces that were about to grace their lives. This new year, they were craving to live it.

"Happy New Year, mi amor," Santana sang.

"Oh it will be, believe me," Brittany kidded to make her wife laugh. "Show me where they are," she asked around a fond smile.

Pursing her lips out of tenderness, Santana parted her cardigan to uncover her stomach from all the wool. "One is there for sure but I don't know where is the other," she explained making her finger dance on her clothes.

Brittany crouched and put a kiss on the right spot. "Happy New Year, baby... And let's say the other is there," she chuckled, putting another kiss on another spot she chose at random. "Happy New Year you too!"

She barely got the chance to stand up and give her wife another kiss before a shower of fresh champagne came drooling on them. Santana laughed, snuggling in her wife's arms to protect herself from the waterfall of alcohol. Such liquor shouldn't graze her lips, she put her hand on her own mouth.

"Move your hand, I have a better solution," Brittany chuckled before crashing their lips together again.

- o -

In the car leading to the Golden Globes ceremony, Brittany couldn't let go of Santana's hand. Truthfully, her wife was gorgeous. For the first time in months, Santana was dolled up from head to toe. Her hairdo was gorgeous, not to mention the dress which was flattering her new curves like nothing else possibly could. Makeup, mani-pedi, shiny shoes, fine jewels... Santana and Eddie had thought about everything for her great come back under the flashes.

Brittany felt bizarre. Next to her, Santana was thrilled, smiling wide. On her part, she had mastered this exercise a hundred times before. She couldn't be less impressed. Brittany however, that was another story. The only carpet she was comfortable walking on was the white one by the tub in her bathroom.

"Are you scared?" Santana inquired almost whispering so the rest of the team in the car wouldn't hear. Meanwhile, she was almost fidgeting on her seat. It was so hard to contain her excitement.

Brittany took a deep breath. She was supposed to deny it all, say that she was confident to get her wife not to care at all. Yet it would just be a nasty lie. "Actually... yes, I am. I'm petrified."

"Aww, sweetheart..." Santana raised their handhold to her lips and left there a caring kiss. Immediately, she rubbed her lips against each other to erase all mark of kisses on her perfect lipstick. She rubbed her wife's skin to remove the red shadow on the cold hand. "There's nothing to fear. The only thing that could happen is you winning. That's not such a bad thing at all," she winked playfully.

Brittany cracked a shy smile. Was winning actually a good thing? She had doubts. She'd have to speak in front of a whole room ready to mock her - at least she imagined it this way, to get an award she didn't think she deserved. She didn't feel like she was meant to be under the spotlight. That was Santana's passion, not hers. She was hearing what her wife was saying yet her mind refused to accept it.

To her greatest despair, the car started to slow down. Santana tightened their handhold. "Think about what we rehearsed, one hand on the hip-"

"One hand on the hip, the other holding you, big smile, chin high," she repeated the gestures her wife had taught her with righteous seriousness. "I can't believe I'm doing this..."

"It's gonna be fine," Santana reassured with a playful look.

Brittany's stress was so palpable that even Annette tapped on her knee from the other side of the limousine. "Hey, it's our moment of glory, let's enjoy it!" the blonde actress cheered, followed by the kind smiles of all their team.

The car stopped. The actress held the hand of her date for the night, the most straight-looking gay man of all town. Annette and her beard exited the car in gracious moves, people already screaming all around. Brittany and Santana let the whole team step out, the blonde shrinking in her seat.

"I hate people screaming like that. I don't like it, I really don't!" Brittany panicked. "So many bad memories!"

Santana rushed to held her face, caressing with her palms. "Hey, hey! This had nothing to do with what happened. It will last just five minutes, a few poses and then we're out into the theater. It's cool sweetheart, it's all fine."

"Brittany, it's time," her freshly hired PR hurried.

Santana pushed on Brittany's hips to make room for her to leave easily. "Come on, let's shine!"

Outside, the crowd was making Brittany feel dizzy. There were flashes everywhere, people screaming their names to get their best profile. She was holding her wife's hand like trying to survive, hanging on the rock despite a stormy sea. She kept glancing at Santana whenever the situation was too demanding. Seeing her so confident was relaxing. Her dark eyes shined with assurance, her black locks were flowing along her shoulder. She was posing in the perfect gestures and offering the best side of what people wanted, her stomach. It was a second nature Brittany just couldn't understand, it was so hard for her. But she complied nonetheless, mostly following Santana's lead in this strange dance. The carpet seemed to never end. The people shouting never seemed to breath, chanting their questions with sick addiction.

"Can we just go now?" Brittany whispered when they had to leave for another group of photographers.

"It's the last wall of photographers honey, hang on. Come on, hold me," Santana instructed softly, determined to enjoy every part of it.

For the hundredth time, Brittany slid a hand along her wife's back while the latter held her bump, the naturally maternal move, as well as one who'd had the expertise of the red carpet. Their hips joined, they arched their backs just the way they had rehearsed. They showed off their white teeth and held on for long seconds during which Brittany wanted to die. How relieving when her PR shook her hand in the air, indicating they could stop and finally enter the theater. She put an arm around Santana's shoulders, pushing her in her relief's direction.

"Let's go, I've had more than enough," Brittany admitted.

"See, it wasn't that painful either," Santana sang, her own excitement almost too loud to perceive her wife's annoyance.

The PR stopped them in front of a TV host, obviously requiring a last minute interview to Brittany's greatest despair. Santana naturally parted, leaving her favorite blonde alone to promote her movie. Brittany frowned right away, pouted. She pulled on her hand, forcing her to stay by her side.

"Look how lucky I am guys, the Pierces reunited here just for me," the TV host kidded in the camera's directions. "What a special treat to see you here! It's your first red carpet event together! How are you guys? You're both looking fabulous!"

"We're good, thanks," Brittany soberly answered, feeling uncomfortable as hell and dying inside.

"So you've come to fetch some shiny globes for them to play with?" the TV host pushed playfully, throwing a glance at Santana's stomach..

Brittany shrugged. "Oh gosh n-"

"Of course!" Santana came to her rescue. "What is a baby room without bling?" she laughed.

"You are the biggest surprise of this year. Your movie is reported to be the favorite tonight, are you excited about it? Did you have a feeling it might be so successful while filming it?"

Santana discreetly poked her wife's feet, she'd better not whine again. "Oh no, I had no idea. I made this movie for me. But yeah, I'm really excited, for sure. I mean, being here is already fantastic. It's already much more than I could possibly expect, I'm very excited," Brittany repeated the words her wife and PR had written for her in advance. She glanced on her side, Santana wasn't moving an inch yet her eyes were telling a story about how well was she repeating the words.

"How many globes are you hoping for?"

_None,_ Brittany thought. "One would be more than enough," she said around a polite smile.

"What would you do if you win tonight?"

Brittany raised an eyebrow at the question. She wasn't even considering winning. So celebrating... "I don't know, my wife?"

Santana cracked a frank laugh to hide her nervousness. She had less than a second to make believe Brittany wasn't serious at all and was making a joke - what she was clearly not. She rushed to hold her bump protectively. "Don't listen, sweethearts, that's grown-up biz!"

The PR indicated that they were done and Brittany immediately sighed in pure relief. She nodded as a silent thank you and Santana gave her best smile before heading inside. Out of the cameras' sight, Santana let her excitement explode. She barely managed to walk without jumping everywhere, she was holding on her wife's arm so tightly. She chuckled all along while following an hostess looking for their seats.

Brittany peeked behind her. Annette and all the lead actors of her movie were following. They were all there for their grand debut. Panic settled in. In her head, Brittany prayed over and over again not to have to go on stage to speak in front of the crowd. Annette or any of the other actors could win. She would enjoy seeing them on stage like a proud mother during a school show. But the mothers were meant to stay in the audience and applaud their kid's glory, right?

- o -

A month later, the terror was even more striking. She was walking on a red carpet with an even fancier dress, shinier jewels and heavier hairdo. The pins in her bun kept hammering on her head, as if they were yelling how cruel the situation was to Brittany. On her arm, the display Santana was offering wasn't any reassurance.

The latter was in her last trimester of pregnancy and the effects were pretty much obvious. Her features were almost swollen, her breathing heavier and her pace slower. Only the mask of makeup she was wearing was fooling the onlookers. She had on her face the masterpiece of her personal makeup artist, a balance of light and dark foundation to create the illusion of Santana's usual doll-look-alike face. The hoax was perfect, the couple would be breathtaking on the next day's magazines front pages. This time however, their PR's strategy on the red carpet was quite harsh thanks to Brittany's insistence of the previous days: no interviews. Annette would kill the polite smiles and smug laughs on her own. Brittany really wasn't needed, especially since the pressure on her shoulders had reached a higher peak since the Golden Globes. Brittany could say whatever she wanted, that she hadn't won the best movie award so she would not win the Oscars, yet everybody around her had a different point of view, Santana included _of course_. They'd had won the best lead actress, the best lead actor and the music. Of course. But why hadn't they won the best movie? Santana had her ideas, "_Because of a righteous asshole in the jury who thinks that he's better than a couple of lesbians, hijo de puta, believe me, fucking hijo de puta! You should cut this man's cojones, they should not be allowed to reproduce their genes! I bet my ass that nazi got a swastika tattooed on his stick." "Honey, I didn't win but it's not big deal!" "I'm sure he collects jewish mummified scalps in his garage. Pass me another carton of ice cream, this one is empty." "Don't you think one is enough already...?" "I have rage Britt, RAGE."_

In the theater, the movie's team had the best seats, a whole row just for them right in the middle of the room so all cameras could easily record them. The industry was expecting them to win and they were all ready. Annette knew her speech by heart, she was sure to win the best actress award - sure to the bone. They were all more than ready, all but Brittany.

Award after award, the pressure grew insanely heavy on Brittany's shoulders. She peeked at Annette, the blonde actress had her eyes riveted on the screen where the nominees for the best actress award all had a little reminder of their movie. The cameras on their faces, six dolled-up women waiting for a hypothetical glory to shine.

"And the award goes to..." the host unfolded the results paper. "A gorgeous woman obviously," he joked, letting the suspense settle in. "Annette Kaiser, congratulations!"

Annette turned around in a hurry to hug Brittany, whispering words of thanks under the deafening applauding of the audience. Not losing a single second, she headed towards the stage in her golden gown. The host gave her a very expected statuette and let her put on her own little show before a thrilled crowd. Carefully, she put the statuette on the corner of the small glass stand in front of her. She stared at it as all the emotion was raging in her heart. She took a deep breath to steady her obviously trembling voice.

"One day, I pushed Brittany Pierce's office door with my script and said that she was the only director I could entrust this project to, my family's history. Apparently, I wasn't wrong at all, look where I am," she winked to the audience under discreet laughs. "More than a movie, this is my battle, my personal battle to win justice back for my own. You're giving me a night of glory but all I can think of are my grand aunt and my grand cousin, those people you've watched through our faces, mine and the ones of my dear partners on screen. In their names, I would like to thank you. Almost 90 years later, someone finally heard them. Thank _you_," she soberly finished, taking her statuette back and left the stage.

In the audience, Brittany kept applauding despite the ache of her hands. Their whole row was standing applauding, except for a short brunette too tired and heavy to properly stand between narrow seats. The dozen of people representing their movie team sat back when Annette disappeared from the stage. All had happy sighs, moved shrugs, blessed giggles... a symphony of pride expressing itself through different personalities. Brittany took her seat back and started to stroke her wife's thigh through the dress to ease her stress.

"I'm happy for her. She deserves it," she admitted, her throat whistling out of too much emotion.

"I can't wait to be happy for you though," Santana pushed with her best smile.

Brittany's shoulders fell an inch, overwhelmed. "I'm scared, San..."

"Don't be..." Santana reassured tenderly, eyes on the screen to see which award was next. Their movie wasn't nominated for that category, she had time ahead to attempt at calming Brittany. "It's just an award, a fucking cool one, yet it's just a piece of metal."

Brittany leaned closer to her wife to whisper. "But you know what it represents... If I win, people will expect me to do even better than this movie, and I can't do better than that. I could only be a big disgusting ball of disappointment if I win..."

"Britt, the only thing that matters is what you want to do with your career. You can totally enjoy some time off after, you don't have to do what they expect. It's your life, your call, honey."

"Still, they'd expect stuff from me and I can't respond to that kind of pressure," Brittany answered quite harshly. Her tone made very clear that her stress and pressure were softly turning into an aggressive panic.

Before Santana could get a chance to keep trying reassuring her, Annette came back from the press room, her face shining like a diamond under the sunlight.

"Make room for the oscarized lady!" Annette joked as she went to take her empty seat. She showed the golden statuette to her dear director with a happy shrug. What else could she say?

"Congratulations Annette," Brittany whispered with a shy smile. She refused to believe she could be the reason why Annette got her Oscar, she just completely refused to take any part in the movie's success.

"We're gonna win, I know we will," Annette insisted for the hundredth time.

"Don't say that..." Brittany looked at her shoes, her feet starting to drum nervously on the floor as the panic invaded her all soul.

Santana immediately grabbed her hand and glued it to the bottom of her stomach, where the babies lately kicked the hardest. Apparently, nothing she or Annette could say would ever calm her wife. During mad crises hard cures were needed and the best one would be the babies, always the babies. With her other hand, she unlocked her small handbag stuck between her and the armrest. She had brought emergency stuff for such an event: tissues, medicine in case she was feeling nauseous and her bola, which never left her. She pulled the little item out of the bag and slid it in her wife's hand. She forced her wife to rub her own stomach, literally obliging her to calm down. The blonde relaxed a bit when the babies started to kick.

"Feeling better now?" Santana asked softly.

Brittany bit her cheek as her fingers were starting to crease the silk of Santana's dress.

"And now, the nominees for the best motion picture," the host loudly announced on the stage after a small speech about how good the movies were this year.

Brittany shrunk in her seat. Unconsciously, she tightly caught Santana's stomach, her fingers diving in the material of her dress. Santana embraced her hand with all her love. She silently prayed for her wife to win after all.

"Filthy Extravaganza by Quentin Tarantino..." the movies kept passing on the screen, all announced with a mechanic feminine neutral voice between short previews. "And finally, The Silent Child by Brittany Pierce."

As pictures of Annette in her WW2 outfit flipped on the screen, the blonde actress deep in her character, Brittany felt the panic burn inside. Cameras focused on her, she had to smile politely despite the insane craving to run away. Her fingers were crashed in a tight handhold and a huge lump was forming in her throat.

"And the winner for the best motion picture is..." Brittany peeked at Santana, dove into her black pupils as her heart was being crushed by stress and panic. "The Silent Child! Directed by Brittany Pierce, the adapted story of a deaf child during-"

The audience applauded like exploding cannonballs. Annette stood up straight on her feet, the pride setting her whole self on fire. She tapped on Brittany's shoulder all thrilled as the latter was numb in her seat. Around, the whole team embraced each other as the industry was consecrating their hard work after years and years of labour. There were sighs of relief, happy tears... all these emotions shaping in different forms. But Brittany was there, numb.

Santana pulled her into kiss to bring her back on earth. "I'm so proud of you..." she cooed barely audible through the madness around.

"What do I do now?" Brittany almost cried.

Santana rushed to catch something in her little bag. She pushed a folded sheet in her wife's hand. "Now you go get your prize! Enjoy it! It's your time to shine," she cheered before pulling her into another proud kiss and fuck the cameras. "Enjoy it!"

"What... is this?" Brittany said looking in her hands.

"Your spare wheel, now go!" Santana almost pushed her, forcing her to follow the team already heading to the stage in a tight and brotherly group.

"Come on Brittany!" Annette called loudly. She took her by the arm, insisting she follow.

Brittany complied while looking back at her wife over her shoulder. The brunette couldn't look happier as she was sitting back, rubbing her stomach in bliss. A golden statuette appeared in her hand and before she could even realized it, she had a whole assembly staring at her. She was supposed to speak yet her throat was stuck. Annette discreetly poked her foot, giving her a necessary boost.

As Santana had guessed, she started to hyperventilate. "_Your spare wheel, your spare wheel,_" her voice resonated in her mind. In autopilot mode, Brittany put the statuette carefully and unfolded the little paper. She read the speech her wife had secretly written for her in case she was in need of a last minute rescue. She read quite common words, sentences Santana had told numerous times before when fetching her own awards. The words made sense yet she heard Santana pronounced them, they weren't her own. In her hand, she still had the bola and all it represented. She gazed at it like a lucky charm. She looked up and looked for Santana through the crowd, her reassuring gazing and her blessed features. That was the little boost she needed.

"My wife wrote me a little speech behind my back because she knew I'd panic, isn't she adorbs?" Brittany said closer to the mic, barely mocking the heavy and uncomfortable silence the room had been drown under for the past minutes.

"_Love you, babe!_" Santana yelled loud enough to cover the entire room with her voice. Biting to the joke would relax her favorite blonde, she was sure. That was worth pulling on her husky vocal cords.

People laughed here and there, they were all smiling at least. They weren't the audience made of thirsty creatures she had imagined. They had welcoming faces. She knew most of those people in the room, they were people she had worked with, had drinks with during industry parties and whatnot. She relaxed. She peeked at the bola and immediately thought about her children, the born and unborn ones. Maybe it was time to stop being so awkward and start the serious business. And most importantly, maybe Santana was right, it was time to enjoy. She had a chance many directors wouldn't have and it would probably only happen once. Maybe it was time to embrace it without awkward modesty.

"Well... it's true, Annette did indeed push through my door and pour her heart out to me saying I should, I _had_ to direct this project for her because she thought it'd feel right if I was the one behind the camera. She wanted a mom, someone who would understand what fighting for their kids feel like. Apparently, I do," she chuckled caressing the soft features of her golden statuette. "By then, I had this little bundle of happiness at home, she was just a couple of months old, who has sucked my old self out to replace it with love and bliss. I directed this movie for her, for her only, to prove her that I would move heavens and earth for her. And if the day ever comes when someone tells her I'm not her real mom, she'd watch this movie and she'd know. Isn't it what is parenthood about? You move mountains for your cherubs. My cherubs, yours, all of ours... You're giving us this award because I guess you thought it was a good movie. But I'm accepting this as your acknowledgement that you all think my definition of parenthood is a right one, just like Annette does, and I want to thank you all for that." She turned around to face Annette, "Thank you as well for believing in me. And thank you Soph', my baby girl. I love you with all my heart and apparently, you saved me from a cursed fate of lame comedies that don't make anybody laugh but your Mama and me," she finished her declaration with a happy sigh. She folded the little paper back, she hadn't used it after all. She put it away hiding it by the neckline of her corset dress. She winked at Santana, the latter on the verge of crying in the audience, moved straight to her heart. "Sorry Love but I'll keep this one for another time. If one baby girl can lead me to the Oscars, what will happen with three in the house?" she joked, taking her statuette back and pulling away. "Thank you all."

The audience stood up in one raging army, applauding with all their strength. Sweetly chuckling, Brittany looked for her wife's glance, to know if she had done good in all. Santana shyly dried the corners of her eyes from embarrassing fond tears before resuming applauding the loudest she could. She was unsteady between the narrow seats, her stomach almost bumped into the person in the seat in front of her, yet she couldn't care less, she was applauding fiercely the love of her life finally getting the recognition she deserved.

That night, Brittany hadn't really come down from her little happy cloud up in the air. Being oscarized wasn't making her feel any more special. However, the people around her acted differently. Suddenly, everybody wanted to talk to her, all the actors and other directors, suddenly had a little word for her when they had previously paid her little to no attention. She was the person they all now had to talk to, a must-see. She was drowned under new project offers, more interviews, more, more, always _more_. Until ridiculously late, Santana and Brittany stuck together through all the handshakes, appointments to take and such but Santana's condition soon caught up. When the team headed to an after party, they parted to go... home.

The first step Santana was craving for was to take her shoes off, those tight heels her pregnant body's swollen feet couldn't deal with anymore. She couldn't help but sigh loudly in great relief when she kicked her shoes carelessly right by the entrance. She had no strength to go any further like this.

"My poor little feet..." she joked fakingly crying, looking at red toes compressed and the shape of the shoes tattooed on her puffy skin.

Throwing the house keys in a bowl on the furniture, Brittany chuckled. She kissed her on the forehead, compassionate. "Go to bed, I'll check the house on my own."

Santana pouted. She wanted to keep the party going at home, throw their own celebration yet her whole body was screaming surrender. Without a word, she took a little path to their room, walking in small unsteady steps, holding on her back, looking more like a granny than a hot mama.

Brittany headed the other way, where the TV set was still resonating. Their living-room was in the dark. Snoring escaped from the sofa. Brittany found there her sister and her man sound asleep in each other arms, both nannying for the night. Obviously, they had left the conscious world while looking all the airing interviews about Brittany's success. Sweetly smiling, Brittany went to grab the spare blanket they usually used to curl up in front of the TV and softly threw it, tucking them. It was insanely late, they were way too far in their dreams to even feel her presence. Damian barely embraced Chloe tighter, and the snoring resumed. She then went to grab the remote on the coffee table and watched the whispering TV for a few minutes.

"_After the surprising results of the Golden Globes, The Silent Child is finally consecrated. As a reminder, the movie scored the best entrances in theater this year and aired for more than four months in a row, a prowess for Brittany Pierce. The director, past known for chick flicks great for pajama parties, gained tonight a brand new fame for this first drama and masterpie-"_

Brittany cut sharp, immersing the large room in the dark, only muffled lights of cars driving past colored the ceiling in moving ghosts. This speech, she'd hear it everyday for a few weeks, maybe months. She eventually had enjoyed her night and victory yet she wasn't ready either to confront the madness of the industry. At least not tonight.

Careful not to make any sound, she walked back on her steps to join her wife and check on their daughter on her way. She passed by the entrance hall and looked in her bag for the heavy statuette. The petty criminal didn't look that fierce. It was all shiny, she could see herself in it. She wondered what she could probably do with it, where she'd put it. It represented so much, the other competitors had craved for it but in all... it just looked like an innocent golden statuette.

She pushed into Sophia's room with the same care than earlier. The night-light was still drawing bunnies jumping and dogs running on the walls along a sweet and soft melody. In her bed, Sophia was just as far away than the others, her thumb stuck in her mouth and her cuddly blanket caught under her neck. Brittany leaned against the safety railings of the little girl's bed. She arranged her baby's messy hair, pulled the locks falling on her eyes behind her tiny ears.

"You rocked my world sweetheart," she murmured. "It's all upside down now. You came into my life, I did one movie with your around, one - single - movie, and the world seem to think I'm good at what I do. Me, a good director..." she chuckled mocking. "I'm not magic, baby girl. You are magic, every part of you is," she cooed stroking her daughter's head.

She leaned over the safety bars and put a kiss on Sophia's head. She sweetly gazed. For how long? She didn't know, an eternity maybe. Eventually, she made up her mind and prepared herself to leave this little moment of perfection. Brittany inspected her oscar one last time. She shined off all the fingerprints with the end of her dress and put it down right by Sophia's night-light. She turned it right in her daughter's direction so the little girl would see it as soon as she'd open her eyes the next morning.

Smiling sweetly, she turned the night-light off and headed to the last checkpoint of her tour around the house, her wife. She found her sitting in the bathroom on a chair right by the sink, too exhausted to even brush her teeth standing. Poor Santana was stuck in her gown and kept brushing in mechanical moves staring blank at the ground.

"You can't take your dress off, hon?" she inquired taking her earrings off and actually preparing herself to go to sleep as well.

Santana put her toothbrush down and emptied her mouth without even considering of standing. She shrugged. "Why would they put the zipper on the back of a maternity dress? Like, what torturer would do that to me?"

"You know what Eddie says, '_Dress first_-"

"_Cry after,_" Santana finished chuckling.

"Come on, let me help you," Brittany put her jewels away and came closer.

Santana held on the sink to stand, her body feeling like it was made of lead with an anvil on each shoulder. She waited still for her lover to unlock the filthy torturer. She breathed out relieved as soon as Brittany unzipped it.

"Is it normal that it doesn't fall? The zipper is all the way down, I can't go any further," Brittany worried.

"Yeah, yeah, it's a tight fit but if I pass my stomach first..." Santana started a fight, fidgeting nervously to win an inch at a time. She pulled fiercely the front layers of silk, trying to pass the mountain of her own belly. "The damn stomach first..." She kept struggling.

"Do you want me to pull on it in the back?"

"No, no, the stomach first and-" Santana freed herself in a hard move, the dress suddenly stuck on her hips. "Then the butt," she kept fidgeting the best she could.

"You look like a snake shedding its skin after having eaten a mouse," Brittany laughed.

"The butt, just the butt..." Santana kept fidgeting until the dress ceded under the pressure and fell to the ground, the material shaping into a deflated air balloon. "_Freedom!_ It's this damn belt that had me stuck but this was the only dress I liked that could hide it well," she explained unlocked the support belt under her stomach as her face gained some more color.

She rubbed her stomach, enjoying the nice feeling of fresh air on her skin and nothing compressing her. She looked at herself in the mirror. The last trimester of pregnancy, what a change. The alien phase had just started, her belly shaping into a strange too round form barely looking human. Her belly button was pointing almost threatening. She had on her skin a web of stretchmarks, prints of tight clothing and support belt... daily routine. Her legs were naturally parted as the heaviness of her stomach needed strong and safe support of two feet glued on the ground. Her hips were much larger, the bones blossoming inside to create a path out for the babies and from the way she was walking unsteady, her body was ready to push them out whenever decided head to the south.

"The whole United-States' railroad network is now imprinted on my belly, how attractive," she laughed rubbing the prints away.

Chuckling, Brittany came closer and embraced her from behind. "And that, what is that?" she pointed at the long print of the support belt specifically.

"Mississippi river, fo' sho'," Santana nodded knowingly before arching her back, tired.

"Do me a favor and go to bed, please," Brittany asked leaving a kiss on her shoulder.

"No need to beg..." she agreed without any resistance.

She had gotten to that point where there weren't pride or modesty anymore, just an aching back and heavy legs. She dragged herself to the bedroom like a zombie leaving her wife behind. She fell on the bed in a loud hit only muffled by the fluffy covers.

"Hey, hey, you okay?" Brittany rushed.

"God exists..." Santana let out as she was finally in bed after long hours of craving.

"Damn, you scared me..." the blonde breathed out, taking her dress off and putting it away on a chair. "I just need take my makeup off. I'll be right back."

"Britt!" Santana called hurriedly to make her turn around. "I'm proud of you, you know. So proud..."

"And you are because I won a toy?"

"No, not at all. I'm exactly as proud of you as I was yesterday. I'm just happy that the world is seeing you with my eyes now."

"What do you mean?"

"They told you how genius you are, and you know I've never doubted that fact because that's a fact. You're brilliant. And even if it took awhile for it to be public knowledge, everyone finally knows and that makes me happy. And proud," she poured as she made herself comfortable in the bed. "I love you, I do, but I also have eyes, my own emotions independent from you and it's this impartiality talking here. You deserve every bit of what happened tonight."

Brittany looked at her feet, slightly embarrassed. "You think so?"

"I couldn't be more sure. And at least half of America thinks the same now," she teased.

Brittany coughed, scratching the pins in her hairdo. She took a seat on the bed's edge to swallow the fact that... people loved her. "Thanks," she let out in a soft tone.

"You're welcome, _mi amor_."

Santana arranged the pillows and switched positions, trying to find the one that would work for that night. With her huge bump, her moves were all clumsy and slow.

"We're not going anywhere tomorrow, are we?" Brittany asked already guessing the answer.

"Nope..."

"At least it was worth it for you to come tonight. You didn't get yourself exhausted for nothing..."

"Yup..." Santana let out as her eyelids began to close. "I don't think I'll be capable of much from now on. I kinda outdid my limits tonight..."

"Maybe we should throw your baby-shower earlier than planned," she suggested concerned.

"We should," she whispered, nodding off.

"In two weeks maybe?"

"Let's fix that tomorrow honey, it can wait a few hours," she stopped around a tired smile.

"Yeah, of course, sorry. Sleep well..."

Santana stroked her wife's hand on the sheets. "I love you..." she barely had time to murmur before sleep kicked in.

Brittany smiled tenderly and enjoyed the silence for a while, only tickled by the calm breathing of a beyond exhausted mom. "Me too, Santana. Me too."

* * *

There you go, another chapter! Happy reading guys :)


	17. The Sentence

Santana felt a bit dizzy. In front of her, the coffee table was covered in the unwrapped gifts everyone had brought for her, and some for Brittany. The poor blonde embodied the delicate role of the other mom who wasn't pregnant and therefore couldn't really bask in all the attention Santana was receiving. However, she wouldn't have traded her position for anything.

As she looked on at Santana, her large bump as a mountain lost if a sea of gift wrapping shreds, she couldn't help but feel proud...immensely proud. She even felt a little dizzy herself. She had spent the last hour passing to Santana all the gifts to unwrap. But there were so many, most of them doubled for the twins' sake. There was a mountain of bottles, right next to the onesies street, crossed by the pacifiers boulevard. Santana and Brittany had tried, unsuccessfully, to keep their friends and family from purchasing too many things, saying the baby-shower was just a way for them to enjoy a moment all together before the babies would be born. In other words, before their home would become a kingdom of dirty diapers and barely-relieving naps from over-exhaustion.

Luckily, they had saved the gifts from their closest relatives for the grand finale. Brittany grabbed one of the last gifts, a tiny and flat one, and passed it to Santana. "That's from... my sis," she read on the card.

Santana glanced over at Chloe with a playful look. "Should I be scared?" she joked.

"It's a very innocent gift," Chloe chuckled.

"Nothing's innocent with you," she teased, tearing off the wrapping of...a book. "Baby names dictionary, etymology, personality and everything you need to know about your future little angel," she reverently read the cover.

"Nice Chloe! Thanks! Let me see," Brittany took the book out of her hands and already looked for the names they had picked.

Santana put her hand over the book to hide. Chloe seemed to stare a little too intensely. "Be careful sweetheart, your sister is trying to see if you're reading the blue or pink part of the book."

"Come _ooooooon!_" Chloe complained loudly, as her trick hadn't worked at all. _Again_. "My heart can't stand the mystery anymore!"

All the girls around laughed. "But sweetie, they don't want to tell. They don't want to tell! You just have to deal with it at some point," Julie attempted to calm her daughter. Her youngest simply pouted. "You think I don't want to know? I'm dying to know but it's their choice, you have to respect that."

But Chloe was stuck to her pout. Playful, Brittany kept looking for the names wife's consent.

"Well, we can tell you that one of the babies will apparently be..." Brittany tentatively said passing all the names to find the right one. Santana pointed to it, already giggling at the definition. "Right! So baby #1 is intuitive, cuddly and wise."

"I can be down with that," Santana laughed.

Brittany flipped the pages. "And baby #2 is sensitive, patient and kind. That's not bad either, we chose well," Brittany let out playfully tapping on her wife's thigh and put the book down.

Chloe jumped on it with the hopes of finding which names exactly had those meanings. Quinn and Carla, both eaten by curiosity, helped Chloe as they read over her shoulders. The pack of she-wolves hurried to flip through the pages.

"Look here, tender and wise," Quinn pointed. Even if she had half of a precious and valuable information, she was still curious to know the name that would make real the sweet guess she had.

"_Noooo_, she said _cuddly_ and wise!" Chloe insisted nervously. There were hundreds of names, it would take ages to go through all of them. Irritated, she threw the dictionary on a pile of books. She crossed her arms and legs, looked out the window, her foot nervously shaking.

Santana and Brittany giggled on their own, relishing the power of being the only ones to know, at least officially. Santana realized her sister-in-law probably wouldn't survive not knowing. At each clue they gave, the curiosity turned into sadness or even worse, fury. She whispered something in her wife's ear. With a sly smile, Brittany laughed.

"Actually, you're right! Girls, I think we have a game for you, sort of," she giggled diving deep in her wife's black pupils with all her love. "We told my sister a while ago that she could submit her guess about the babies' gender and that we would confirm if she was right. If she was wrong, we wouldn't say anything and she wouldn't get anymore guesses. So the game is, let's vote! I think it's time for all of you to agree and submit us your guess, and we'll tell you! Maybe!"

"Fucking damn shit, I love this," Chloe let out, already in search of her purse. She looked for a little notepad, with worn corners. "I got your back chicks, I got you back!" she sang taking her seat back.

"What's that?" Santana called as Chloe was flipping through the pages of her notepad.

"I call it: 'Da Brittana Code'. All the clues and guesses I had since I figured out you were pregnant. I've made notes on everything."

"Are you psychotic or..." Quinn breathed out as she caught sight of dozens of lines written with the date, the place, _everything._

"Hey, I care about my family!" Chloe defended herself under the laughs.

"Come on, tell us what you have instead of whining," Alma hurried from a chair she was ensconced in, which only lead the people around to laugh even more.

"So! I have... drumroll please, guess #1, Santana's craving is ice cream this time and I read online that eating mostly sweets means it's a girl."

Carla tried to find a decent paper she could write on. She drew a chart on it, three columns very clearly designed. "Hold on, hold on, lemme write that down! If I've got that right, that's one point for the "Girls" column?"

"Yup!" Chloe blurted.

"Let me remind you my adoration for lasagna with Sophia. Last time I checked, Soph's pretty much a princess and not the giddy gay queen kind of princess," Santana laughed, rubbing her bump tenderly.

"A point for the Boys columns then?" Carla asked, confused.

"Stick to the Girls. Trust no Snixx, rule #1" Chloe confirmed, nodding with great motivation. "Next is... her bump is pointing forward and it didn't when she was expecting Soph'. I read online that pointing forward was for boys."

"Yeah, but she has two, they need room at some point. I don't think that's relevant. Plus, mine was pointing forward when I was pregnant and it was a girl," Quinn explained.

Chloe stared furious. "Listen, I'm trying to help here and you, you're not helping."

Gloria coughed from another sofa close to them. "May I suggest we put that in the "Boy and Girl" column since we can't really agree on that one?"

"The voice of reason has spoken," Santana winked at her mother.

"Okay, so one in Boy and Girl," Carla thought out loud.

"Next is... November 15th, Brittany watching a football game with Dad. She never does, I think we can put that in the Boys columns," Chloe indicated under Brittany's giggles. She kept reading all her notes. "Oh! Put another point in the Girls column. The Chinese calendar says that a woman being 32 would give birth to a girl if she delivers in April. Girls, go, go, go for girls!" she hurried Carla.

Santana burst out laughing. "You're not serious!"

"Hey, I would have checked the Mayan calendar if it wasn't written in weird as fuck letters," Chloe defended herself.

"Like you read Chinese!" Brittany pushed.

"No, Google does!" Chloe made a sufficient face out of a joke. She kept reading her notes. "Hm, I have another decent one but I don't know how to interpret it though. The twins aren't identical."

"How do you know that?" Brittany frowned at what sounded, for once, like actual accurate information.

"I... told her. I'll explain it to you later," Santana admitted biting her lip. "But that has absolutely nothing to do with their gender though, it's about what they'll look like."

Chloe shrugged. "Still! It raises all the probabilities, right? So where do we put it? What column?"

The guests all took a second to decide. The happy mothers whistled playfully to break the heavy silence, actually thrilled to find out what the vote would say.

"I think we should put that in Boy and Girl as well. If it raises the probability of them being different, it also lessens the probability of them being similar," Julie poured her train of thoughts.

"I quite agree," Carla confirmed.

"Let's go for Boy and Girl then!" Chloe let out, totally lost on that clue. "What do we have then?" she asked looking over Carla's chart.

"Two for Girls, two for Boy and Girls, one for Boys," Carla explained to the audience. She glanced at Santana. "Are we close?"

The mother grinned. "I don't know!"

On her chair, Alma grumbled. This baby shower thing was getting on her nerves, and Chloe's dumb clues weren't helping at all. "I'm gonna tell you what they are," she spat standing up, pushing on her cane and then walking to her granddaughter. "Give me your bola and your wedding ring," she instructed wasting no time.

Curious, Santana obeyed. She pulled the necklace out, took her ring off and put everything in her grandmother's old hand full of arthrosis. Alma unlocked the chain and took the usual pendant off. She passed the ring instead, the golden jewel falling with the crystal sound of the chains.

"Give me your pointing finger."

Santana frowned, "why?"

"In Puerto Rico, we say that if the mother holds a gold ring over her stomach, and the ring sways, it's a boy. If the ring makes circles, it's a girl. Give me your finger now."

"Wait a second, I don't want to take part in Puerto Rican witchcraft," Santana stopped right away.

"Why? You're afraid it's going to be true?" Alma defied. "It's the game Santana. Either you play your own game, or you don't and it means you've ripped us all off."

"I must say, I love your grandmother, San," Chloe breathed out, shaking her hand in the hair bowing to the old lady. "You are one fierce lady, Alma!"

Santana looked at Brittany in a thoughtful stare, requiring her approval. Brittany smiled wide, "Come on, I say do it. We're here to play after all!"

"What if it ends up right?" Santana worried.

"Listen to your grandmother Santana, don't you dare take a stand against the superior wisdom of the old generation," Chloe laughed.

Brittany shrugged with a tender smile. "It's the game, I suppose."

Breathing deep, Santana raised her finger in the air under the clapping hands of all the thrilled women around. Alma slid the chain with the dangling ring of her granddaughter trembling joint. She made her raise her finger even more so the long chain would be hanging over the stomach without touching it.

"Now you stand still and you let the magic happen," Alma almost threatened in case Santana was planning on cheating on the results.

Chloe rushed closer to see with her own eyes what would be happening. The chain softly stopped swaying along Santana's natural moves. Slowly, the ring pointed hard on the stomach.

"Oh my god, is it swaying or encircling?" Chloe hurried.

"Wait a bit more," Alma quietened.

All the room had eyes riveted on the ring, except Alma who was staring hard on Santana. She watched her severely, her dark eyes speaking volumes about what she'd do to her if she dared moving her finger. Santana swallowed thickly, Alma wouldn't let go of her, that was _very_ clear.

"It's swaying!" Chloe let out fascinated by the light trembling of the ring.

"Are you sure?" Brittany pushed all smiles.

"I think it's swaying! What do you think, Alma?"

"It's swaying," Alma stated before taking the bola back and replacing the pendant on the chain.

"Oh my god, oh my god..." Chloe ran back to her seat dying in excitement. They were so close, so fucking close to getting an answer.

"So I put a cross in the Boys column. And the results are... It's a tie!" Carla laughed, figuring the whole thing ended up pointless.

"All I see is that we need to vote now!" Brittany called. "Carla, count the votes please. And let's take a tour..."

Every woman voted, some convinced to the bone, some unsure. Each time a friend or a family member spoke, Carla wrote down a point. The room was crowded, so it was quite an affair... Five minutes later, Carla ended up with a column more stuffed than any other.

"Quinn, your vote," Brittany asked.

The blonde lawyer grinned at Santana. The Latina perfectly knew that Quinn could smash at least one possibility in no time. She prayed Quinn wouldn't use a particular word that would set Chloe on fire.

"My vote is... boy and girl," she winked at Santana, who let out a relieved sigh.

"Noted!" Carla blurted.

"And last but not least, Chloe, your vote please."

"I vote boys, boys, boys! I'm hooked on the Puerto Rican sorcery," she laughed.

"And with mine... I vote for boys for the record," Carla giggled. "We're ending with 8 votes for Boys, 5 votes for Boy and Girl and 5 votes for Girls. The Democracy has spoken, they're boys!"

Santana bit her little nail skins waiting for the big question. Brittany stroked her thigh to reassure her.

"So Mrs and Mrs Pierce, do you approve or disapprove this sentence?" Carla asked in a playfully serious tone, imitating a judge. The heavy silence settled in. "Are your twins two boys?"

Brittany smiled tenderly at her wife. "Do we tell them now that we don't know either or do we just wait a little longer?" she joked.

Chloe stood up, furious. "Don't even dare playing that on me! Answer the question!"

"Since it's asked so kindly..." Brittany rejoiced. "We disapprove this sentence."

Chloe fell on her knees, almost weeping and pulling on her hair. "We were so close, so damn close... No, it's not possible... I refuse... I refuse Brittany! I highly disagree!"

"What's wrong with this child?" Alma asked in her usual satisfied expression, making her granddaughter laugh.

- o -

"_Do you know where Mama is?" _Santana heard her daughter ask through the closed door.

"_I don't know, she's probably taking a nap,"_ Brittany answered casually.

"_But she's not in your room."_

"_Really? Well, you shouldn't go in our room, especially when Mama is supposed to take a nap, you know that."_

Sophia sighed at a rule she perfectly knew yet decided to ignore. _"But I have something to tell her."_

"_What thing? Maybe I can help you with it..."_

"_No, you can't, I need Mama." _

Lately, Sophia needed Santana much more than usual. The little girl always had something important, secrets and other mysterious words that could only be spoken to her Mama. When asked why, Sophia had no answer. She only had an embarrassed look to offer, from one caught in the middle of a naughty plan.

"_If you need Mama then..."_ Brittany breathed out, obviously irritated. _"Listen, I don't know where she is so you'll have to wait till she eventually reappears."_

"_But Mommy, it's important! You need to help me find her!"_

"_It's always important with you," _Brittany cynically emphasized._ "If she's sleeping somewhere, let her sleep!"_

"_But it's really super important..." _Sophia almost cried.

Brittany let out a loud disappointed sigh. _"Did you check if she was in her studio?" _

"_Yes! And I went to her office room and the sauna too!"_

"_Weird... She has to be somewhere close by anyway."_

Under her warm blanket, Santana didn't really know why she kept hiding where she was. She was barely surfacing from a too short nap and her brain wasn't connecting the pieces of information just yet. And if she was completely honest, she just had no strength to deal with a child right now. She heard doors opening and closing, Brittany probably was checking all the rooms around the house.

"_Santana? Are you here?" _Brittany called out every once in a while.

"_But where is she? Where's Mama?!" _Sophia wept.

"_Baby, don't panic, come on... Honey? Are you here?"_ Another door opened.

"I'm here," Santana finally croaked, coughing to clear her voice.

"_... did you hear something?_" Brittany inquired through the silence.

"_No!"_

"I'm here!" Santana let out a bit louder.

"_Mommy, here!"_ Sophia started.

The door opened in no time. "What are you doing in the twins' room, love?" Brittany sweetly giggled when she caught sight of Santana all curled up under a blanket in the rocking chair.

"I was more comfortable sleeping in this chair," she explained around a smile.

"We woke you up?"

"No, it's fine," she coughed, on her way to being fully awake.

"Cool! There you go baby, tell her your thing," Brittany said pushing Sophia in.

The little girl looked up biting her lips, trying to find a nice way to tell she wanted to be left alone with her Mama.

"Did you lose your tongue or what, go ahead!" Brittany laughed.

"But it's a secret..." Sophia admitted playing with the edge of her feet.

Brittany shrugged. "Alright, don't tell me your secret..." she sniffed out on her way out of the room.

Sophia stood there, perfectly aware of the fact that her recent taste for secrets might be breaking her Mommy's heart. Yet it was stronger than her consciousness. She had no choice, she had to do it. She reverently walked to her Mama, softly pulling on her joints to wake up comfortably.

"Tell me baby, what's the secret?" Santana asked with a kind smile.

"It's the fairy, she told me something again," Sophia admitted.

The fairy was a very convenient hoax for when Sophia needed to ask something of her Mama. It wasn't her, it was the fairy that ordered it. And the fairy wasn't holding Brittany dear in her heart. The instructions the fairy gave were always for Santana and her only. Brittany should never know about the fairy. Her existence was a secret. So Santana had to obey because you couldn't rebel in any case when the fairy asked something. Surprisingly, the fairy was around much more than before. Even more surprising, the fairy appeared to Sophia when her Mama couldn't hold her in her arms and carry her around anymore. Really, what a coincidence.

"What did she say this time?"

"She said that you have to teach me how to ride my bike without the little wheels," Sophia tried with puppy eyes.

Santana's eyes rolled to the skies before she could stop herself. "Hm, okay... Did the fairy mention when I have to teach you?"

"She said today."

"Sweetie, that won't be possible, you know that. I can't run or even walk for long. It makes me feel bad... That's going to have to wait after the babies are born, sweetheart, I'm sorry..." she explained with her most tender voice.

Sophia's eyes started to wet. Was it honest sadness or a naughty behavior to get what she wanted, nobody knew. "But the fairy said you have to do it today..."

"I can't, I really can't... Maybe I can ask Mommy to teach you herself, I'm sure the fairy won't mind-"

"Yes, she will! She said you and nobody else!" Sophia almost pleaded.

Again, Santana would have to find a trick to sidetrack the "fairy's" intentions. She stared at her daughter, waiting for the genius idea to pop up. Really, all Sophia wanted was to spend some quality time with her mom who she was missing to the bone. These past few weeks had been quite stern about cuddles, games and other activities with her Mama. She felt put aside and she didn't know how to remedy to this situation. Fighting the fog of her mind, Santana brainstormed to find something she could actually do in her condition. She heard Gogo squeak in the hallway... That was something she could do.

"Do you think the fairy would be mad at me if I walk Gogo with you instead of teaching you to ride your bike? We can go to the courtyard for a while. Do you think she'd accept that?"

Sophia nodded fiercely, her white teeth shine bright as she was finally getting to spend some real quality time with her mother.

"Okay good. Go choose a toy for Gogo to play with and then we'll go." Santana instructed while trying to stand up from the rocking chair.

No sooner said than done, Sophia was already out looking for the perfect toy. Santana headed for the hall in her slow, excruciating slow pace.

"Britt, we're going to walk Gogo!" Santana called loudly for wherever her wife was.

"_Okay, coming!" _Brittany shouted back. She skipped to her from the living room.

"Yeah about that... this was a special fairy request," Santana almost apologized with compassionate eyes about making clear that Brittany wasn't wanted.

"The fairy again... That damn fairy doesn't really like me," she chuckled. "But you're sure you want to walk the dog? Like, you wanna... _walk?_"

"Nah, we're not going in the street, just the courtyard. I'll just sit on a bench and let her play," she explained trying to slide her swollen feet in her shoes while holding on a wall. "We won't be gone for long."

"Shout if you need something though," Brittany worried. "I'll leave the window open."

Sophia rushed with her dog hot on her heels and a multitude of toys in her arms.

"Pick one Soph', just one," Santana warned. She would not be able to pick them all up off the ground if Sophia couldn't carry them or whatever.

"But Mama, I don't know which one he likes best-"

"One," Santana insisted bossily.

Brittany crouched and chose one for her, ending the debate right away with a tender smile. "Take that one, it's the most convenient to throw and for him to catch."

"Yes Mommy!"

Brittany stood up and put a kiss on Santana's cheek. "Be cautious, you promise."

"Yup. I think I'll have my water break over the flower beds, it'd make some good fertilizer," she laughed, hand on the front door handle.

"I'm not joking," Brittany said with big eyes.

"Okay!," she winked. "Come on, everybody out!"

Sophia stormed out, already running to the elevator. She fidgeted happily while the floors kept ringing and numbers kept flipping on the little screen over the elevator door. Santana almost already regretted her idea but her daughter's happiness was not something she'd compromise on. Luckily, the building's courtyard had a very convenient garden, with green grass, benches and small trees. Everything they'd need to enjoy some time in the March cold sun. Santana dragged herself to the first bench and took a sit.

"Mama, play with us!" Sophia complained.

"Hey, you know what I really want to see? I'd like you to show me how far you can throw his toy and how fast he'll catch it," she used her most playful and tantalizing tone to make sure Sophia would give in to the game.

Sophia caught the toy and wound up her arm, trying to get as much strength as possible to throw the toy as far as she could.

"Wow baby, you look so strong!" Santana emphasized as she made herself more comfortable on the bench.

The toy flew fast in the air, raised high and fell... two yards away and Gogo started gnawing the shit out of it. Sophia had the smile of an olympic champion.

"Wow! I'm so impressed! Do it again!"

"Mama, look! Look!" Sophia insisted on her every move.

The little devil seemed happy. Finally she got to spend some time alone with her Mama after lean days, how thrilled was she. Santana kept cheering at each gesture, each clever move her daughter was attempting to make her forget she couldn't really take part in the game. Little by little, Sophia forgot that the whole thing was about Santana being around. She began playing on her own with her pup, content under her mother's gaze. And it was a good thing because Santana wasn't having one of her best days. She kept an eye on her daughter while rubbing her stomach. These days, the pressure was growing on her pelvis. She was even experiencing those Braxton Hicks contractions every once in a while. That was a fact, her body and babies were peacefully getting ready.

"Hello my dear! We don't see you around very often!" one of her neighbors let out cheerfully. This old lady was one of their best neighbors, one of the most caring. She always had candy for Sophia or a sweet word for her mothers. "May I take a seat with you?"

"Sure!" Santana moved a little to make room.

"My old bones aren't very strong anymore," she laughed.

"Mine don't feel too strong either, we're in the same boat Mrs Pariente," Santana kidded.

"Oh, call me Claudine. I think it's about a time you do," the lady giggled.

"Okay then, Claudine..."

"If I didn't see your wife around, I would have swore you were out of town!"

"Yeah, I've been cocooning a lot lately," Santana explained stroking her stomach. "I can't do much more than that anyways."

"When is your due date? Soon, I assume," Claudine gestured a very big stomach with her old hands.

"Less than a month. But if I'm being completely honest, it will happen _much_ sooner than that."

"Oh really? So you've been walking around and eating spicy food in hopes of kicking them out fast?" she chuckled.

"Oh no, not at all. I'd like to keep them in here as long as possible but I feel like it's the end though... I felt like that before giving birth to her," Santana nodded in Sophia's direction.

"Well, I'd better start baking the brownies I'll bring for you at the Hospital then!"

"Brownies? You said brownies?" Sophia came closer, much more interested in the grownup conversation.

"Mrs Pari- Claudine said she'll bring brownies when the babies are born. I don't have any right now, sweetie," Santana broke her daughter's heart. At her sheepish expression, Santana couldn't hold her chuckle. "Mommy made extra waffles this morning, you can have some when you're done playing."

"And I promise I'll make a brownie for you and your other mom too, just for you both!" Claudine drove the point home. Satisfied, Sophia left.

"I wish I'd be able to eat your delicious brownies, Claudine, but I'll give everything to my wife and kids," Santana laughed.

"Oh no, why's that?"

"I want to fit in my size 0 dresses again," she barely joked rubbing her stomach. "And I have a lot of work ahead... as you can see."

"Darling, you'll need to stop eating altogether then," Claudine teased, winking at the huge mountain over her legs. "I had two kids and I'd never got my size back, sadly. All I gained out of it were spanx!"

Santana giggled nervously. "I already booked a wonderful tummy tuck and I'll still considering a new boob job. It'll all depend on how the nursing goes, I think."

Claudine's eyes widened. "You plan on nursing both of them?! How courageous you are..."

"I'll try, at least for their very first months. It's best for them!"

"Of course, you can't argue that obviously..." Claudine breathed out yet quite disarmed.

The conversation died, both women watching little Sophia fool around with a jumping dog trying to catch the toy she hung in the air.

"I'm sorry Santana but... both?! Thank God you're not having triplets!" Claudine blurted.

Santana let a shy smile appear on her lips. "I almost lost them once you know, with the car crash..."

Claudine breathed out, compassionate and guilty to bring up such a topic.

"I'm willing to keep them as long as possible and nurse them even if it means kissing my body and social life goodbye. If I can do it, though. We're assuming that they want my milk and that I'd have enough for two... I don't know how _that _will go," she admitted with a shrug. "We'll see!"

Claudine put a sympathetic hand on Santana's arm. She barely had words, she didn't really know what to say. "I hope everything goes just the way you want."

Suddenly, Santana shrunk a little. She held the bottom of her stomach, breathed deeply and calmly. "You know what's funny about having twins?" she asked around a sly smile. Claudine shook her head. "Sometimes, they agree on throwing a little party and I swear that r_ight now,_ they're having some sort of breakdance festival..."

"As long as they don't replay Jaws," Claudine laughed.

Santana kept massaging her stomach in intense rubs. She would have laughed too but her body was keeping her from it, the babies weren't doing any good to her at the moment. "Not Jaws but definitely breakdancing..."

"They're running out of space, the poor sweethearts..."

"Yup... I think I'm gonna go Claudine, I'd be better off in my bed."

"Of course!" Claudine let out as Santana was already trying to stand up. "Let me help you," she suggested already holding under her arm to give her the boost she needed.

"Thanks... I'm thirty-ish and you're the one helping me... It should be the contrary," Santana joked, smoothing her shirt.

"Oh I may be 79 but I'm still 25 in my head!" the old woman giggled. "Take care of yourself Santana," she waved over her shoulder as she left.

"Thanks!"

"Are we going?" Sophia rushed.

"Yup, I heard there was a waffle drown under a _mountain_ of chocolate waiting for you in the kitchen..." Santana tempted with a sly tone.

Once they got the infamous Mr Mango to follow them to the hall, mother and daughter headed back home. the atmosphere in the elevator was heavy. Gogo kept running and jumping, still thrilled by the game. Sophia's mouth was already watering over the thought of waffles waiting for her. Santana frantically rubbed her stomach to make the pain go away as the twins were smashing her womb into bits. She stared at the little girl next to her, her perky eyes and enthusiastic expression. It was breaking her heart to say what she was about to say, yet she had no choice. She would have knelt to look her in the eyes with tenderness, on the same level, yet she just couldn't.

"Sophia sweetie, I won't be eating the waffle with you. I'm just going to go to bed when we get home," she tried to say with the softest voice as the floors numbers kept ringing in metallic sounds.

An immediate pout came whitening Sophia's face. "But why?! You can eat a waffle too! I can share mine if there's only one left!"

"It's not about that, I'm not hungry Soph'. I need to go to bed. I don't feel very good..."

"But you just took a nap! It's snack time now, we always eat our afternoon snack together!" Sophia tried to negotiate with fury. There was no magic fairy anymore, no sweet tricks to get to spend time with her. There was a little girl missing her mom to death, a raw longing that had turned into raging frustration.

"I know sweetheart, I know..." Santana stroked her hair. "I'm sure Mommy would love to eat it with you-"

"I don't want Mommy, I want you!" Sophia pleaded with wetting eyes.

"I can't go play with you _and_ eat a snack, I can't stay up that long... Believe me, I wish I could but I'm tired-"

"But you're _always_ tired!"

The elevator door flew open and Sophia stormed to the front door, stuck in wrath. She hung herself on the handle to open the door and torpedoed inside. Santana would have run to catch her baby girl and drown her under a zillion kisses. That's what her heart was craving for... But she had her both feet glued to the ground, her muscles that simply refused to move any faster and those lungs, poorly allowing air to blow in.

It was hard to miss the hurricane Sophia had turned into. Brittany saw her burst into the hallway and then into her room. She slid under the covers and kept answering nothing at Brittany's questions. Only her irritated weeping came to the blonde's ears. Anyhow, Brittany wouldn't get anything from her so she headed to the front door Santana had just passed. The latter was taking a slow... excruciatingly slow path to her bedroom.

"What happened?!" Brittany let out disarmed.

"She wanted me to eat a snack with her but I really can't right now..."

"Are you okay?" she worried right away, throwing her protective arms in front in case Santana needed support.

"They can't stop kicking, I just need to lay in bed," she explained already entering their room.

Brittany was dying to see her like this, dragging herself to bed with a speed of a drunk snail. She was feeling her pain when her wife was walking holding onto her back as the pressure was insanely heavy. She followed Santana's every gesture, helped her take her shoes off and take a seat in the bed.

Santana only relaxed once she was in her beloved bed, laying on her side so her stomach made of lead wouldn't constrict her spine anymore. She ensconced herself with fluffy pillows, stuck one here and there to be sure that she wouldn't move from her comfortable position. When the physical issues were behind, Santana's eyes dropped in sadness.

"It's breaking my heart to see her upset at me like this... I'm not doing anything wrong yet I'm the one being punished..."

Brittany stroke her arm, the only thing that appeared from the mess of sheets and covers Santana was drowned under. "Hey... hey... Don't say such things, it won't last forever. She'll understand when the babies are here."

"Are you sure? Because she's pretty pissed at me right now, how would that get any better when the twins are here? I won't be able to be there for her as much as before, neither you would for the record..."

"Don't worry about that..." Brittany whispered tenderly. "We knew it would change things, we just have to get used to it, all of us. And she'll be busy too. She'll have two babies to gaze on!" Brittany tried with an optimistic smile. "She'll fall in love with them and she'll understand. I have no doubt about that."

Santana stared, saddened. "I'm starting to believe that she feels left behind. I don't want my baby girl to feel left behind..." she almost wept.

"I'll talk to her. We'll sort things out, I promise. But for now, you let me take care of this and you rest, okay?"

"She doesn't want to talk to me anyway..." Santana grumbled between the sheets.

"I'll take that as a yes," Brittany said putting a kiss on her wife's forehead.

"Make sure she gets a waffle with chocolate. I promised it to her..." Santana murmured in a sick voice when Brittany was about to leave.

"Don't worry, I'm taking care of this, my love," she let out as she passed through the door.

In front of Sophia's closed door, she heard clearly the little girl's cries deafened by pillows and covers. Brittany made up her mind quickly, tried to find the right words to push the storm behind.

"Sweetheart?" she called passing her head through the door.

"I don't want to talk!" Sophia shouted from under the mountain of covers.

"You're mad at me too?"

Sophia remained quiet. Taking her chance, Brittany came closer.

"Did I do something wrong?" she softly asked, taking a seat at the edge of the small bed.

"... no..."

Brittany lifted the covers to make her daughter's face appear. "I'm glad because I'd have been really sad if that was the case," she admitted stroking her daughter's cheek to dry the tears. "It's okay if you don't want to talk. I don't want to force you to if you don't feel like it. Does it bother you if I talk though?"

Swallowing her tears, Sophia shook her head.

"Great. Let me tell you a little story, sweetie. I was a little girl just like you a _long_ time ago. And, just like you, my mom had been pregnant and I _hated_ it too."

Suddenly, Sophia was much more curious about what Brittany was saying, since she seemed to understand exactly how the situation felt, she _hated_ it.

"I hated it because I wasn't the only princess in the house anymore. I had a little sister on the way and my parents explained to me that I'd have to start sharing with her. I didn't want to share with someone I didn't know! I thought she'd steal my toys, my friends, my family, everything! Everyone was so excited about her and I was feeling so left out... Do you feel like that?"

Her lip quivering, Sophia nodded.

Brittany stroked her hair in an attempt to reassure her. "I understand and it's okay. It's hard for you, I know that. But if you want to be mad at someone, be mad at me. Because I'm the one who asked for more children, I asked Mama to give me more children."

"But why?" Sophia asked with puppy eyes.

"Because back in the day, my mother gave birth to Chloe. At first, Chloe was a sort of purple swollen potato and believe me, I thought she was ugly," she admitted around a sly smile, and surprisingly, Sophia cracked a grin. "She cried all the time, and sometimes she even smelled bad because she pooped in her diaper, it was terrible!" Sophia laughed at her mother's emphasized tone. Brittany relaxed. She was on her way out of the pouting. "But one day, I woke up and went to the kitchen. My mother forced me, like every morning, to kiss Chloe on the cheek to say hello. I obeyed because if I didn't kiss her, my parents got upset with me and I didn't like that either. After all, a kiss wasn't so bad! So I kissed my sister, just like every morning, and you know what she did?"

"No."

"She spit her baby food on me and she laughed! The naughty girl! I was super mad. So when my mom wasn't watching me, I threw baby food right back on her. I deserved to take my revenge after all!"

"And what did she do?!"

"You think she would have cried, right?" Brittany asked all playful and Sophia nodded fiercely. "Well, she didn't. You know what she did, she made a big mess of herself. She was laughing so hard that she spit up all the baby food she had in her mouth! It was bananas and pears and she it all over her! My mother was furious, but Chloe was so funny that I started laughing too. And the more furious my mom was getting, the louder she was laughing and me too, I just couldn't stop laughing either! Oh gosh, she was so funny..."

Sophia eased herself in her bed and let go of the protective cover she had curled up into. "Did you get in trouble?"

"Oh yeah! My mom was really furious because it's very bad to play with food. Right after I finished eating my breakfast, my mom sent me to my room to punish me and she shouted at Chloe because she was too little to be punished. So I went to my room but you know what, I wasn't mad at all. Actually, I was pretty happy. All I wanted was for it to be the next morning and to put baby food on Chloe again so we could laugh again just like that."

"Did you do it?"

"Of course I did! And Chloe spit up again, and I got in trouble again... But you know what, it was totally worth doing it because I understood that Chloe would drive my parents crazy just like I used to. She was on my side and it felt nice to have someone to team up with at home. After that, Chloe grew up and we did more stuff together-"

"Like what?"

Brittany laughed. "I'm not telling you how I drove my parents crazy, you'll have to find your own things to do with the twins for that. I'm sure you guys are gonna come up with insane stuff that will drive Mama and me completely insane, don't worry... But the point is that you'll do things with them and I promise you'll enjoy it just like I did with Chloe. And you're even luckier than me, you'll have two! Two just for you!"

Tears on Sophia's cheeks were a distant memory. The little girl had a shy smile sticking to her face as she was pondering what her Mommy was saying.

"That's why I asked Mama to give you more siblings. I wanted to give you the chance to have fun just like I did with Chlo'. I'm not saying that you'll have fun right away, because newborns don't do much at first... But with a little patience, they'll start doing funny stuff. I promise."

"Stuff like what?"

Brittany played with her lips, brainstorming intensely. "First, they'll do weird sounds, they'll tap everywhere to make noise. Then, they'll start trying to speak so they'll stammer and repeat words that don't mean anything! They'll start laughing and they'll start playing with us. And when they'll grow even more, they'll play games with you-"

"What games?"

"I don't know yet. Any game that needs more players, I suppose? Any type of ball games, hide and seek, maybe even board games... anything you like! But you'll just have to be patient for that. Each time you think you don't like the way things are going, I want you to think about this: one day, all of this will happen. And this is not just a story I'm telling, it will really happen."

"You're sure?" Sophia needed confirmation. Indeed, all of this was starting to sound okay, yet she needed to be sure it wasn't a trick for her to stop pouting.

"Yep, couldn't be more. It's exactly like Christmas. You spend a whole year waiting for it and sometimes it feels like it's gonna take forever for it to come. But in the end, Santa always comes down the chimney if you're a good girl. Like your birthday, like summer holidays... It always happens. You just need to wait for it patiently and when the day finally comes, all the time you'd been waiting doesn't matter anymore. Don't you think it feels a little like that?"

Sophia nodded. "How long will I have to wait?"

"For what? Before the babies come or before you can start playing with them?"

"Both."

Brittany made a little face. She wanted to explain the time in a way that was clear to her young daughter. "Hm... Do you have that calendar Grandma Julie gave you for Christmas?"

"Yes!" Sophia nodded and jumped out of her bed to go fetch it.

"Please, bring me a pen too, sweetheart."

"Yes Mommy!" Sophia hurried to find her favorite pen in her pencil case. She ran back to the bed and handed over the items.

"Thank you sweetheart. So, do you know what today's date is?"

Sophia brainstormed hard. "March... 17th?"

"Exactly, March, 17th," Brittany said eyes on the calendar as she flipped through the pages. "There we go, March 17th, that's today," she pointed the right box. "Mama's due date is April, 14th-"

"What's a 'due date'?"

"It's the day the babies are supposed to be born. But it's just the doctor's best guess, it rarely happens on that date. Actually, it usually happens sooner that the due date. So we're gonna mark April, 14th on your calendar because, the babies will be probably here by April, 14th," she explained putting a red "x"in the right box. "That means that by April, 14th, this whole situation you're not so happy about will likely be over for good. Mama won't be pregnant anymore and she'll be able to play with you again, carry you around and stuff. It should all over by April, 14th. You understand?"

"Yes. But that's a long time!" Sophia commented at all the boxes left.

"Well, it's a little while, but it's the next family event though. Hold on, we'll mark them all so you'll see exactly how many days you'll have to wait in between each."

Kindly, Brittany marked all the dates with the matching explanation so her daughter wouldn't mix them up. All the family birthdays, grandparents, aunts and friends included, holidays, the first day of school... _Everything_ that would be part of their future during that upcoming year.

"That's a lot!" Sophia admitted realizing that there was at least one red "x" every month, sometimes even several in each month.

"That's a lot but it's great, isn't it?"

"Yeah! I love parties and holidays!" Sophia let out all cheerful.

"Me too... See, each time you feel a little down, you'd just need to look at your calendar, count the days left before the next event and wait patiently for them to come because there's always something good about to happen. Do you think you can do that?" Brittany asked while giving the pen and calendar back to her daughter.

Sophia looked at all the boxes marked and tried to decipher all the letters her Mommy had written. She went back to the start and looked for what'd be coming next. "So the next event is... T-W-I-"

"Twins, baby. T-W-I-N-S," she explained pointing on the written word. She counted out loud all the boxes. "That's in 28 days from now. Less than a month. Got it?" Brittany cheered offering her hand to be high fived.

"Yes Mommy, got it!" Sophia smacked her mother's hand with all the strength she had... none.

Brittany smiled with pride. "Now Soph', what about we go take care of that waffle?"

"Yes! Yes! With a lot of chocolate, Mama said I could have one with a _mountain_ of chocolate on it!"

"Come on, let's climb that chocolate mountain, little monkey! That waffle won't eat itself!" she laughed.

All pouting and sadness behind, Sophia jumped out of her bed and ran to the kitchen with a big smile, the big smiles all children should have stuck on their angel faces.

* * *

Ta-dah! The countdown before the babies' birth has started... Tik, tok, tik, tok...

Tell me what you think! Your reviews are always so interesting and entertaining! You guys always make my day! I hope you like that update!


	18. The Cry

"How many times do I have to repeat myself? I don't want to do interviews! No interviews! Am I not speaking English or what?" Brittany fulminated on the phone.

"_No, but Brittany - dead serious here - everybody wants you! Everybody! I can't keep refusing everything just because you don't feel like doing this"_ her PR agent infuriated. _"At some point, you need to take your responsibility as a director-"_

"I didn't love doing it before, why would it change now!"

"_You won an Oscar, Brittany! Deal with it! If you didn't want the attention of the media, then you shouldn't have made that damn movie."_

"That's actually a great idea. Maybe I should stop working. Problem solved. What do you think about that, Santana?" she emphasized, looking at the tired woman lying on a sofa close by.

"_I didn't say that... Please Brittany, reconsider it,"_ her PR agent begged.

"Gimme the phone," Santana asked in a low voice, too tired to properly speak.

You don't argue with an eight-and-a-half month pregnant woman. You just obey to whatever she says. Hence, Brittany handed over the phone.

"Hey, Santana speaking. My uterus is about to turn into a fucking train station. Wood has replaced my legs and I just can't walk. Hiroshima just exploded in my head, my spine feels like mashed potatoes and I'm so damn fat that I keep sweating as if I were a turkey in the oven. So if my wife says she doesn't want to do interviews because she wants to stay home and take care of me, you're gonna fucking listen to her or I'll be sure to have you kidnapped by some mafia assholes and get a picture of my episiotomy tattooed on your fucking ass," she retorted in a hushed, calm tone that made her sound even more terrifying.

"_An epi-... what?!" _the agent stammered.

"You know, when they make an incision on my vagina to let my babies' heads pass, you ignorant whore," Santana hung up and let the phone fall on the sofa carelessly. "Fixed."

Brittany hid her giggles under her hand, faking rubbing her nose. "Thank you, love."

Santana grumbled and buried her head back in a pillow. She was in a terrible mood and it had lasted for a few days. It was mostly due to the fact that she could have never imagined she could feel so damn sick. The twins were clutching hard and she felt as if she'd be forever pregnant. She just couldn't picture an end to what felt like a sickness. One thing was certain, she was pushing her own limits. She had sworn she would keep the babies as long as possible, even if it meant spending weeks in bed, and that's exactly what she was doing. Even if it meant paying the cost with her own physical condition.

It was late March and the weather still wasn't very warm. Brittany had her winter socks on and a sweater warming her cold shoulders. Santana however, that was another story. She would have sworn the weather was on fire, every part of her body felt like it was burning. She was so hot despite her rather light clothes, with a shirt barely covering half of her stomach and elastic waisted shorts. Even like this, a light sweat appeared on her forehead. She plain and simply refused to move.

Letting her chuckles die, Brittany pulled her chair closer and replaced some of her wife's messy locks behind her ear. Santana's hair was slightly damp, sharing the tale of Santana's suffering. "What would I do without you.."

Out of nowhere, the doorbell rang. Within a second, Sophia stormed out of her bedroom, unsteady steps bothered by the backpack that was bouncing on her back. "It's Barry! It's Barry!"

Brittany headed to the front door and left Santana to her own devices. After all, she wasn't about to run a marathon... "Hold on, roadrunner!"

"Open!" Sophia hung on the handle and couldn't look more thrilled herself when Barry and one of his dads were revealed standing there waiting.

"My savior!" Brittany laughed, hugging Arnold.

"So how's Santana?" he cut straight to the point as he entered.

The previous day, Arnold had been surprised to receive a call asking him if he could come fetch Sophia before driving his son to school. Brittany was terrified at the idea of leaving Santana alone. She was in such a fragile condition that she could go into labour at any second. It was too risky to leave her alone, even for a measly half-hour, the time to go to the school and come back.

Brittany shrugged. "We're waiting."

Arnold poked her shoulder playfully. "Courage, it'll be worth the wait. In the meantime, don't worry about Sophia, I can make a detour without any problem in the mornings. But hmm, are you going to fetch her tonight or do you want me to drop her off too?"

"No, no, it's fine for tonight. My parents can take care of her. They're just working in the mornings, that's why I asked you."

"Okay then! Sophia, you ready to go?" Arnold asked excitedly, sitting on his haunches to be level with the two children.

However, Sophia wasn't one for pleasantries, and was already passing between the adults legs on her way out of the apartment, thrilled to be able to go to school with her best friend.

"Seems like she is," Brittany laughed.

"See you tomorrow morning!"

"Goodbye, Mommy!" Sophia let out, tapping on the elevator button.

Brittany waved and closed the door, her heart heavy. She didn't like not being there for their baby, but well, desperate times called for desperate measures. She stood there numbly, having a blank moment before she was pulled out of her reverie by Santana who was walking through the hallway.

"What are you doing up?" she worried.

"I'm gonna explode if I don't go to the bathroom right no-" Santana stopped and braced herself against the wall suddenly.

"Are you okay?" she jogged closer. "Santana?"

Santana's forehead pinched in confusion and her mouth hung open slightly, breathy and worried. She could have sworn she had felt something... crackle inside, the sound muted but definitely present. Finally she understood. She took a step back and, moving her leg, released a continuous flow of warm water on the polished floor as Brittany gaped at her.

- o -

"Breathe in deep, breathe in," Brittany instructed, holding her wife's hand tighter than ever.

Santana shrunk in the bed on a particularly strong contraction. Around her, an army of nurses and pediatricians worked like busy bees. There were two teams working in the room, one for each baby, setting up everything that would be needed for the upcoming delivery. In her ears, two regular heartbeats were buzzing, amplified by monitors strapped to her stomach. It was reassuring. It gave her a concrete goal to focus on. Santana was trying hard to forget the pain and pressure. All she wanted was to live through these 'th-thump th-thump's' resonating in the room. When she opened her eyes at the end of her most recent contraction, she peeked at the monitor measuring them. The peaks were getting closer.

"_They're coming_..." she muttered out of breath.

"What are you saying, love?" Brittany inquired, stroking the hand in her grasp with her lips.

"I feel them pushing, they're coming..." She resumed panting but, this time, there was no peak on the paper falling from the measuring monitor. This pattern of breathing seemed to come out of nowhere, but she naturally parted her legs, preparing herself to push. She crushed her wife's hand, tried different holds to find the one that would work best to aid through all the pushing.

"Madeleine!" Brittany called in a panicked manner. "It looks like they're picking up the pace here!"

Santana's face contorted and her body shook as she kept herself from pushing. Breathing wasn't enough this time. She grumbled soft groans that spoke volumes about her condition. But Ferguson wasn't ready. Santana's labour had sped up much faster than expected and with twins, it took longer to prepare everything.

Ferguson jogged around the bed, barely having time to slide into plastic gloves. "Do you think you're ready to start pushing?" Santana nodded immediately. Her moans indicated she was right about to do it. "Hold on Santana, don't push yet!"

"I... I can't..." she croaked.

Usually a comfortable mix between bossy and amused, Ferguson wasn't anywhere near that confidence this time. She checked Santana with great seriousness and within a second, the verdict was given: the first baby was already coming down despite all expectations. Ready or not, the delivery was starting now. Ferguson unstrapped the heartbeat monitors in a flash and inclined the bed, hurrying her every move.

"Okay, whenever you're ready!"

Without needing to be told twice, Santana was already pushing as hard as she could.

Like an old memory coming from out of the blue, Brittany felt that urge to hold her wife just the way she had done years before. She wouldn't wait for Santana to drown in pain to show her intense support, she wouldn't make the same mistake this time. She helped her lean forward, clutched her hand tight in a hold that looked more like an arm wrestle and leaned her head close.

"I need long pushes Santana, long pushes," Ferguson instructed under Santana's moans and groans of both pain and frustration. "They're going down with long pushes, come on!"

"You're doing great, love, come on!"

Santana hung on. The last thing she wanted was to reproduce the nightmare delivering Sophia had been. She knew how giving birth felt like, she knew that the pain would be blown away as soon as she held her babies. And until she could stroke their little heads she was willing to give everything she had, even if it meant long minutes of endless pain.

She groped around with her free hand to hold onto something. She could feel her first baby passing through her.. The sensation was written in her memory very clearly. She hung on to what felt like a head crowning. Apparently, she'd guessed correctly as a nurse set a clean cloth on her stomach, Ferguson stood up from her stool.

"Keep going, keep pushing," Brittany cheered as her wife seemed to have a particular hard time. She pushed on Santana's now sweaty back, making her lean even more forward, giving her a final boost. "Come on!"

"Don't weaken now, come on, come on, come on!"

Santana felt her skin crackle, burn in a striking pain but in all, she knew it wouldn't last more than a few seconds. She held on until a wet flow came cooling the pain instantly. Ferguson put her baby right on her chest and dried it roughly with the cloth. She cleaned the face, emptied the throat and nose to make sure they could hear that wonderful cry Brittany and Santana would remember forever.

Brittany couldn't wait to know who that little crying marvel was. She raised the baby a little, peeked between the shaky legs and laughed tenderly. "Our little man..."

Relieved under the healthy cry of her son, Santana held him tight and watched him closely, his every feature, counted in her mind his fingers and toes and all the little details her heart in love was craving to discover. She couldn't get enough of his cries, his eyes flickering under the strong light. She stroked his head, hushing the panic he voiced in loving whispers.

"I'm sorry to interrupt Brittany but... We need to be fast," Ferguson said softly. She handed a pair of scissors requiring Brittany's intervention to cut the cord.

Brittany dried shy tears with the back of her hand and proceed to grant her son the second biggest step of his live. She understood what Ferguson meant when she saw her wife contort with pain even if she was completely sure that her mind was absorbed by a little man chilling against her.

"If you want to hold him before we start again, it's now or never," Ferguson admitted in a whisper when Brittany handed the scissors back.

She pulled herself together. Even petrified to do something wrong, her whole self trembling, overwhelmed, she slid fakingly confident hands under this little angel. She never wanted her son to believe she was afraid of him or to take of him against her, give him a reason to fear or be hesitant around her. She had to be strong, for him, for her wife. Her baby against her, she wondered how they could have lived without him before. He was so perfect, small and fragile, in need of everything Brittany had to give. She raised him a little to leave the lightest kiss on his forehead.

"Does he have a name?" a nurse asked, hands outstretched and ready to take him.

"Lucas," Brittany cooed as she passed the newborn over.

"I'm going to take care of this little Lucas personally until his sister joins us, don't worry, okay?" the nurse kindly explained to avoid at all costs Brittany or - worse - Santana, panicking under the insanity of welcoming _two _children to their brood.

When Brittany fell back into the human world, only her wife mattered. She grabbed her hand back in a flash and kissed her with all her love. "Thank you..."

Santana nodded, acknowledging to Brittany that she had heard her speaking but the pressure in her stomach was too strong to take part in any sweet talk. She had her eyes riveted on Ferguson, expecting the instructions to welcome her second baby.

"What about I tell you that she's going down on her own?" Ferguson cheered lightly.

"Does she? Really?" Santana asked breathlessly for confirmation.

"Yes, no need to push, your body knows the rules. Just keep breathing!"

With Brittany endlessly breathing deeply in her ears, it was easy to get back to the rhythm. She focused on that little wind cooling her neck, its regularity. Inside, it was pulling. She didn't know what was happening but there was no doubt, she was feeling it. Each time a striking pain manifested itself, she hung onto her wife's hand who never failed to have the perfect word at the ready to support her. She closed her eyes, waiting for it to end.

Brittany however, was seeing everything. She caught sight of the little gesture Ferguson had made to call a pediatrician quietly. The latter was ready, looking at what Ferguson was doing with his jaw tightening. Brittany kept breathing deeply but it was turning little by little into a reaction of her own worry.

Obeying to her body, Santana leaned forward as her muscles braced, wanting to push her daughter out.

"No, no, Santana, keep breathing! You're pushing now, I just want you to keep breathing! She has the cord around her neck, I need to cut it and I need you to keep breathing."

"Oh no..." Santana croaked, beginning to worry.

Brittany rushed to rest forehead against forehead. She left her wife no chance to look elsewhere. It was them, just them, waiting for their baby to arrive. But Santana kept contorting as the sensations intensified.

"Stay with me," Brittany insisted.

Santana gritted her teeth through her breaths until she felt the same wet flow as earlier. But this time, her body stopped working as well. She looked for her daughter but the pediatrician was already tucking her in a cloth and taking her away. Her heart shrunk when she caught sight of her daughter's arm falling from the hold, inanimate and blue.

"She's not breathing," Santana cried out.

"Madeleine, what's wrong?!" Brittany asked, shocked.

"She's a little stunned, she should be alright! They're going to give her a little boost," Ferguson explained, her trembling voice betraying her concern.

Santana straightened herself to see what was happening on the other side of the room. But a group of white coats were blocking the view. The panic blew everything out of the water, every snatched piece of bliss their son's birth had produced, until she began to hyperventilate.

"She'll be okay! Trust my team, they're doing their best, she'll be okay!" Ferguson hurried to reassure the panicking women.

With such intense fear, Santana didn't want to hear promises or reassuring words, she wanted to hear facts, a solid proof that indeed, everything would be okay. She looked up at Brittany, the only person here that could understand how she was feeling. The blonde was on the verge of crying, holding her sobs with a weak hand covering her mouth.

"Britt, she's not crying..." Santana wept.

"She will, she_ has_ to," Brittany whispered brokenly.

On the other side of the room, the words of encouragement made room for worried whispers. Seconds flew by and Brittany felt compelled to go to her daughter's bedside, felt the pull only a mother would. She approached after a quick glance at Santana who, drowned under worry, nodded. She wanted her baby girl to feel safe with her Mommy nearby. Her feet were anvils dragging across the floor. She kept breathing in her hand so not to faint as she came closer and closer. Her daughter was just as blue under the plastic gloves working on her as she had been when she'd first struggled out of her mother. Brittany could barely see her face under the tubes and band-aids maintaining everything in position and the white coats hurrying around her. Brittany could only catch glimpses, her little hand laying immobile, her fist half-closed and falling lifeless on the mattress, her eyes forever closed and her skin, tainted a terrifying blue.

"Come on sweetheart, come on... It's time to breathe, a little courage, come on..." the pediatrician kept chanting frantically. "What's her name?" he inquired roughly over his shoulder.

"Gr-... Gra...cie," Brittany cried, eyes wide at having been acknowledged.

"Come on Gracie-sweetie, your moms are waiting for you, come on, Gracie, come on!" the doctor kept chanting rubbing the little baby everywhere with the hope Gracie would pull herself together.

Gracie's fingers trembled, _a miracle_. Brittany felt like she was falling down a long dark hole, and was only now seeing the light. She wanted to fall on her knees to thank the world for having spared their precious daughter. The pediatrician removed what seemed like an enormous tube from inside her daughter's throat as she struggled. Gracie cried and Brittany echoed the sound, as relief fought its way out of her in burning tears. Their daughter was turning red little by little, moved more and more until she started using the wholeness of her lungs to shriek. She was in the clear, ready to embrace the long life fate had promised her.

"Mrs Pierce, come here," the pediatrician called as a nurse made room. "I know all those tubes are impressive but she's okay! Don't worry, she's going to get better and better from now on," he kindly explained as Brittany finally got to meet her third child.

Gracie had a tube in her nose, another in the remnant of her cord, she looked broken yet incredibly gorgeous. Like her beauty radiated from the splinters of the body that had almost betrayed her. It was like looking through a wave, distorted but awe inspiring. A rough diamond prisoner of a weak body. Unlike with Lucas, Brittany was afraid to touch her, to hurt her even more than she already seemed.

She approached the fidgeting baby gingerly and with the absence of noise or eve breath. Scared to harm her, Brittany couldn't resolve herself to stroke her in between the tubes. She caught her little hand, that particular one she had stared at, hoping to see it move. She caressed it against her own cheek, the insanely soft fingers shaking against her own skin. She could stay there forever, smelling the sweet scent of newborns, enjoying the little moans and sighs of a body fighting its way into life.

In her bed, Santana had turned into a weepy mess. She was away from them yet she could see Brittany smile like a goof through wet eyes, she could see her wife kissing their daughter's hands over and over again under the close watch of the pediatrician. They could all see her, everyone but Santana. They all knew what she looked like, what she smelled like - but not her. She was dying on her bed, stuck in this jail when she would have given her life to hold this little being against her.

How relieved was she when the pediatrician set a cradle for Gracie, stuck a breathing monitor over it and took the little baby out of Brittany's watch. They were bringing Gracie to her, her Mama. Brittany followed, a fond smile stuck on her face: she just couldn't wait for the family to be reunited. A nurse rushed to free Santana from her sweaty gown and before she could realize it, they put Gracie on her. Her velvet skin, her warm little head dangling on her breast, her dark pupils appearing and disappearing under lazy eyelids. She fell in love. Stuck in adoration, she was loving with all her heart the little fighter who was breathing by fits and starts. She glanced at Brittany, oh... the love was more than shared.

Careful not to bother the tubes Gracie needed to keep fighting, the nurses tucked the little baby right on Santana. Sheets and covers came covering the both of them until Gracie was fully warm and comfortable. All Santana dared to do was stroke her forehead lightly, over and over again. The tubes and band-aids had no importance, Gracie was perfect.

"I love you," Brittany whispered against Santana's temple.

"She's going to make it, isn't she?" Santana whispered, craving for reassurance and swallowing her tears.

Brittany had seen her blue and lifeless. As she watched Gracie now, all pinkish and quite regularly breathing, she was witnessing the incredible progress Gracie had conquered in such little time. Gracie was a brave and fearless one, she had no doubts about that. She nodded to Santana's question, all her love and care flooding out of her eyes.

"Mrs Pierce, I have a good news and a bad news," the pediatrician said with a wink. "The good news is that this little sweetheart just needs time to get used to the outside world but the bad news is that I'm convinced she needs to stay against you for awhile. Do you mind keeping her like this with you back in your room?"

Santana looked at him blankly. Her groggy mind couldn't process what he was saying. How in the world could he even think of taking Gracie back?! "Of course not..."

"Great! Skin to skin contact is very efficient, she's much better here than in an incubator, don't you think?"

- o -

That delivery had felt like a hurricane to Ferguson. It had taken less than an hour for the Pierce to slam into the Maternity ward's door, shouting that the labor had been increasing minute by minute, to set the family in a delivery room right away and to pull the second baby out. One hour without a single second to breathe in and pull herself together. One thing was sure, it had been... _intense_.

Now the family was comfortably set in a peaceful room. The mothers had both their babies with them and Gracie was shaping good as time flew, chilling against Santana's warm skin. Right now, it was time for a little break for the obstetrician, starting by a hot coffee in the staff cafeteria. She rubbed her face tiredly, alone in the elevator, the floors ringing each time it stopped. At the 7th floor, the surgical OP floor, Jorge got in the elevator as well looking equally as exhausted as Ferguson felt.

"You look terrible, rough night?" Jorge casually laughed, hands in his pockets.

Ferguson instantly grinned. "Nah... I started my shift a few hours ago but it started firing on all cylinders."

"Do tell, was it exciting? Emergency C-section?" he joked easily.

On the inside, Ferguson was trying to hold in her laughter. Her exterior however was much more composed. "I wish! What if I told you that my patient delivered twins 20 minutes after she got into the service, natural and no epidural style because there was no time, and complications on the second cherub, but in all, it's a happy ending?"

Jorge snorted knowingly. "Oh man... I understand your pain!"

Ferguson smiled widely. "The parents didn't even have time to let their family know they were heading to the hospital. These babies are already pretty stubborn, once they decided to arrive..."

"That fast?"

"Oh yeah, thank god they didn't get stuck in the morning traffic or it would have been in the car. I can't even begin to imagine what would have happened if that had been the case but well... Now they're all safely resting. I just left them. We finished all the tests on the babies like... _3 _seconds ago."

"That sounds like an intense delivery. And day for you."

"Exactly. Very moving... A boy and a girl. The parents named them Lucas and Gracie. I kind of like it!"

Jorge looked fondly at his feet. "I wish Santana has boys too, at least one. _Un pequeno chicano_ to team up with during football games, you know," he snorted.

"Didn't you hear me? I said a boy and a girl," Ferguson teased with growing laughter that was hard to quieten.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean 6 lbs for the dude, 5 lbs 13.5 oz for the princess and the mom, the delivering one I mean, they're lesbian parents so _one_ of the moms is resting just fine. Pretty sure they're calling their family as we speak-"

The doors of the elevators squeaked open before Ferguson could finish her word. Through the cafeteria, the loudspeakers were calling for... _"Dr Lopez is expected in Obstetrics, Dr Lopez for Obstetrics..."_

Jorge's jaw dropped to the ground. He stared blankly at the obstetrician, eyes wide.

"Congratulations, grandpa!" Ferguson released her roaring laughter as she stepped out of the elevator.

"Why didn't you tell me!" Jorge panicked pressing on the buttons furiously to go back up as soon as possible and growling warningly at two interns inching towards the lift.

"I just did! Room 615!" Ferguson shouted before the elevator doors closed.

One of the interns turned towards her, looking concerned. "Is he always like that?"

Saying that Jorge torpedoed through the hallways was an understatement. He was a living rocket. He took a second to get his breath back before passing his head by the door which hid his resting daughter and grandchildren. His heart melted.

This time, Santana was awake... and busy. A pediatrician he knew well was coaching Santana to feed little Gracie, so she should proceed not to harm the tubes. They were four hands under the mess of sheets and covers keeping the little baby warm. Nearby, Brittany had a little someone with a blue hat and a blue bracelet falling asleep.

"Remember, always pass your arm under the tubes or they'll compress between both of you. They must stay slack under any circumstances but I think you get it-" the pediatrician explained.

"Can I come in?" Jorge interrupted. "I don't mean to bother but..." he grinned. "I couldn't wait..."

Santana breathed out happily when she caught sight of him but her only concern was her children, _always_ her children. She focused back on Gracie. Feeling her baby feeding on her was a blessing. She had hard time hiding her happiness. Her breathing instantly calmed down, mimicking her daughter's rhythm as she suckled. Old reflexes that the past should have buried guided her gestures. Like four years ago, Santana held the head of her baby slightly inclined, and forever caressed Gracie's hands, legs, feet, everything she could touch without harming her fragile baby in feather like strokes.

In the meantime, Jorge was dying to meet the little sweethearts. Brittany, guessing his dilemma, threw a contagious smile in his direction. The closer Jorge approached, the deeper he felt compelled by the little boy letting light babbles escape.

"How's my grandson?" Jorge whispered, grinning wide.

Carefully, Brittany stood up to show her son better and maybe pass him over. Reuniting three generations was always a special moment and before her own father could be here to join the party, she was over the moon to share this with Jorge.

"Content and sleepy... Do you want to hold him?"

Switching and not waking him up was a delicate task. Softly, the grandfather caught the new generation of the Lopez family's _hombres_. Brittany moved in case Jorge wanted to sit with Lucas, which he did. It was hard to resist the temptation of holding him for a while, a long sort of while.

"I see you have everything under control. Ring that bell if you need anything," the pediatrician supervised as Brittany took a seat on the edge of Santana's bed, the side free from any monitor helping Gracie.

Both Santana and Brittany nodded and the stranger left. In the silent room, they were finally enjoying a sheer family moment. The magic of the first moments together was still very palpable yet, for the first time, they were completely on their own. Brittany put her head on her wife's shoulder and watched their daughter eating, _recovering_.

"It's incredible how fast she's getting better," Brittany cooed, gazing on her daughter swallowing big mouthfuls. "She's so pinkish now..."

Santana said nothing, lost in her own paradise. Her finger grazed Gracie's palm in pure tenderness.

"But hm... What happened exactly?" Jorge asked quite embarrassedly, curious yet fearing to tackle a sensitive subject.

Santana frowned right away and shook her head to erase the very fresh bad memory that was still lasting, with all these tubes and band-aids.

Brittany looked at Gracie fondly, emotional. "Her lungs are a little weak, and she... she lacked air. But they said everything should be alright. They said they don't think there will be repercussions but they still want her to be under breathing-support to be sure."

"Did they mention when they'd remove it?"

"They'll watch her tonight and they'll do another check tomorrow. But she's looking much better than earlier, so much better already..." Hope colored Brittany's voice.

Jorge shrugged, all eyes on his grandson. This life was precious, there was no doubt possible. He imagined how horrific it must have been for them. The twins looked so tiny, so fragile. Even he couldn't picture his sadness if he had been in the room with them and had watched that happen right before his eyes. "It's poor consolation but it happens quite often with twins. It's scary but it's not that serious. They hang on and they become more than healthy..."

"I hope so..." Brittany sighed.

Santana was hearing the conversation but her mind refused to comprehend the words. She was thinking 'twins', living 'twins', breathing 'twins'. At this particular moment, her self couldn't have less importance. She kept playing with the insanely tiny fingers of her daughter. She was praying each second for the destiny to grant good graces for her little Gracie. Absent, she gazed blankly at her.

Gracie was holding on. She was holding on so hard that she clutched Santana's finger out of comfort in her Mama's arms. Those fingers as thin as matches which were clenching determined. It was all Santana needed to burst down crying. The until then pending pressure fell on her like a tsunami. The fear of losing a child, having a bad delivery, not being good enough... strong enough to manage, it all fell down on her and blew her away. She started weeping on her own, releasing the worry in her heart to make room for love, nothing else than _love_.

* * *

The World didn't end and we gained twins out of this, isn't it wonderful? Haha!  
again, thank you all for the supporting reviews and the anon asks on tumblr, it always warms my little heart!

Merry Christmas to you all ! :)


	19. The Shyness

Lately, Sophia had been in a terrible mood. Officially, she couldn't go to the hospital to visit her Mom and twins. The adults all had the same version of a white lie: they were all way too tired to take her and they needed time. But meanwhile, her abuelos and grandparents came to watch her because Brittany was just too busy. She felt unwanted; the adults couldn't take even care of her for a whole day, they always switched. And this peculiar situation had lasted for four days already. Not only was she bored, but she missed her moms. Like... crazy. She wanted to escape the house and run to the hospital on her pink scooter. However, there was a massive problem. She didn't know where it was. Utter doom.

Unofficially, her mothers didn't want her to see Gracie attached to all her tubes. How do you explain to a four year old that the scary tubes on a fragile baby were ... _okay_? A bored daughter was still better than a traumatized one. It had been a tough decision but one Brittany and Santana had made and agreed upon after much deliberation.

Earlier that day, the front door had opened for someone else other than the grandparents. Her mothers were finally home, carrying what seemed like a mountain of baby stuff under their arms. A storm rolled through the apartment in the form of grandparents and mothers who were pretty much hysterical. However, the storm didn't even graze Sophia, who watched on speechless. They were two. Two little dolls fidgeting in her mothers' arms. Sophia kept staring blankly at them, standing numbly in the middle of the living-room as Brittany and Santana were shaking off blazers. She was afraid to touch them, to even come near them. Gracie was even more terrifying, as she was all wrapped up against Santana in a sling that seemed three sizes too large for her. She kept a safe distance away from the new apparitions, hunkering down by the main sofa. She couldn't stop staring though, and said nothing, eyes wide and jaw slack.

Sweetly chuckling, Santana got rid of the sling and held Gracie in her arms protectively. Sophia went up on her tiptoes, willing to catch a clear image of her sister's face.

"Don't be shy, sweetheart, come here," Santana reassured in her softest voice. "Isn't she pretty?"

Sophia walked forward cautiously to the sofa where her moms were sitting. Gracie was nothing more than a baby, not some strange creature like she had thought; the copy of one of her dolls with the only exception that she was able to move.

"What is this?" She pointed to Gracie's cheeks, red marks from the tubes still apparent.

Santana rubbed the spot tenderly. "That's nothing, it's gonna disappear soon."

Sophia bit her lip, her usual reaction when she was deep in thought. She threw a glance towards Brittany as she remembered a story her mother had told her before. Should she start kissing the babies right away, hoping for a bond to form? Brittany nodded, understanding the silent question.

"Come on, kissing them won't do itself," Brittany commanded almost bossily, the smile on her face betraying the stern direction.

Her strategy was obviously differed from her wife's, mostly because she wasn't afraid that Sophia would recoil from her little sister. After all, she had been the eldest a long time ago and she was convinced that, just like her back in the day, Sophia would just get over it.

"Britt!" Santana let out in an astonished whisper. She kept blinking, silently ordering for her wife to drastically readjust her strategy.

"What? Can't our daughter welcome them?"

"Yeah she can but I figure that, you know..." she whispered, embarrassed to talk about that with Sophia staring hard. "Do it softly, play it cool..."

Brittany snorted at such an idea. "Come on Soph', climb up here," she said, tapping on the sofa in between them.

Pursing her lips out of shyness, Sophia did as she was told and sat right between them. She was surrounded, the sofa was crowded. She didn't know if she had to look on the right, on the left, if her mothers would be mad at her for looking at a baby and not the other but in the meantime... she only had two eyes and two hands! It was overwhelming.

Puppy eyed, she looked up at Brittany in need for procedure to get out of this dilemma. "Who should I kiss first?"

"If you kiss Lucas first, you get a kiss from me too, if you go for Gracie, you get one from Mama. Either way you get a giant cuddley-cuddley hug! It's a win-win, really," Brittany explained cheerfully.

Finally, Sophia smiled. Even if she was quite disarmed about the babies, she knew how fiercely she loved hugs. And it was something she had missed with all her heart, she was longing for: being held tight in Santana's arms. Smirking, she bent over Gracie and put a light kiss on her cheek. Then she turned around, kissed Lucas with the same care and looked up at Brittany.

"They didn't laugh," Sophia stated, her Mommy's speech still fresh in her mind.

"Not today! Maybe tomorrow," she admitted lightly under Santana's perplexed stare. "I'll explain to you later," she whispered in her wife's direction.

Sophia immediately slipped off the couch and stared frankly at her Mama, requiring the deserved hug she had longed for months. Giggling, she passed Gracie to Brittany in still unsteady moves. They still had to get used to having to move with two babies in their arms. Once Gracie was firmly held against Brittany, Santana adjusted herself and opened her arms widely, a smile cutting her face in two.

It was too beautiful for Sophia to ever resist. She dove in the cuddle like one would take a plunge in the ocean. She glued herself like a koala to its tree, and wrapped her arms around her neck. Now her mother's stomach mostly felt like a big fluffy cushion than the old hard montain days before, and she encircled her legs around her mothers midsection in a move that left no doubt that Sophia wouldn't let go for ... _a while_.

Santana couldn't hold a surprised breath by the violence of the hug, the need exploding in the hard grasp. Oh yeah, Sophia had missed her a lot.

"Sweetie, I ca-n't breat-the..."

Sophia barely parted, just enough for her mother's lungs to resume working and kept cuddling against her chest. "I missed you!"

"I know sweetheart, me too," she murmured, stroking her daughter's head endlessly. She raised her chin to talk to her in the eye and gazed for a while as memories of her birth kept flashing in her mind. "I can't believe you're so grown up, Soph'. You know, I still remember when I saw you for the first time. You were so little, all warm and cuddly, so perfect. And you know what, you're still so perfect. You're my perfect little girl and you'll always be, no matter who you are, who you become and how many brothers and sisters you have. You'll always be my first baby, my first perfect baby. Get that printed here," she joked softly poking her forehead.

Heart three sizes too big and throbbing with love, Sophia breathed out happily and snuggled even closer. No, Santana wouldn't be able to part so soon.

- o -

Welcoming twins was a big change. In case Brittany hadn't realized it, the loaded laundry baskets - because one wasn't enough anymore - kept reminding it for her. She knew very well how it worked for one baby: the double rule. One baby meant two onesies per day, two towels for breastfeeding and showers, two shirts for Santana and on the worst days, two pairs of sheets. She wasn't a genius yet the equation was clear for twins. Two babies changed the rule into... the _four _rule.

After finishing the third washing machine load of the day, Brittany was sweating. In her mind she was putting the last finishing touches to the organization they _needed_ to survive through this baby war. From now on, the twins would always wear the same kind of colours so Brittany wouldn't have to wash the darks and the lights every single day. It was silly, yet every little fixed detail saved five to ten minutes. Five to ten minutes that she could use to nap before the twins started crying, before Sophia started whining to get her afternoon snack; before Brittany herself started weeping for the loss of a hypothetical long and wonderful nap. Again.

It had been just a week since they had come home. They had been forced to get with the program sooner than expected, without even a small respite for Santana to get back on her feet and Brittany to finally sleep a little, after days of rushing and hurrying. She was a zombie as she arranged the warm clothes of the previous load. All her moves were mechanical, only commanded by her autopilot.

"We need to hire a cleaning lady," she whispered looking blankly at the wall in front of her. How lively were her dreams of fluffy pillows and warm covers, all these wonderlands shining in her mind as she was rocked by the whirlpool of the washing machines. "Like, I need it. I just do or I'm gonna _die _before they even turn one."

She extracted herself from that groundbreaking decision and headed out. The house was silent, completely quiet. It was three in the afternoon, "nap-time" her brain kept chanting. Sophia was probably asleep in front of a cartoon in the middle of the living-room, Santana's boobs were probably still providing the twins' lunch. The sun passing through the windows was torture. How much would she give to nap with the windows opened, her face swimming in an ocean of warmth... But no, she still had to clean their room, change the sheets and take care of the hundreds of emails asking the same question: when do we do an interview? And then maybe... _maybe_, her body would grant those marvelous sheets a little visit.

Rubbing her eyes, she realized that there was no sound at all. Not even a cartoon yelling, not even Gogo scratching the wooden floor while he played. Nothing. Curious, she peeked in the living-room and saw no one. Sophia's room? Nobody either. Out of nowhere, she heard the plastic sounds of pens being opened and closed. She pricked her ear and figured it was coming from the twins' room. Softly, she pushed the door ajar and a pure massacre materialized right before her eyes.

Santana and the twins were done with their feeding session. The traditional post-lunch hug had turned into a general nap-time in the rocking chair, voted by consensus. The three of them were knocked out, Santana breathing heavily in a way that, if she had been sleeping flat on her back, would have produced some massive snoring. However, the drama of the day was shaped into a straight brown-haired girl's angelic face. Armed with dozens of colored pens, Sophia had done the unthinkable. She had turned Lucas into a prostitute, crimson cheeks, blue eyelids and eyebrows colored cruedly in, and Gracie... Poor Gracie had met the infamous Don Diego de la Vega, a twirling black mustache crowning her heart-shaped lips. Sophia kept drawing her masterpieces holding herself on her tiptoes and using all her softness so as not to wake up everybody. Sticking her tongue out, she was concentrating fiercely to achieve what had sounded like a mind blowing plan.

"Sophia! What are you doing!" Brittany burst into the room as quietly as possible despite her rage.

"I'm differentiating them!" she let out proudly.

With the three sweethearts sleeping, Brittany was forced to bite her tongue. She indicated for Sophia to get out of the room without a word, an authoritarian finger direction her to the door.

"You better have a decent explanation, Soph'," Brittany spat once the door was closed.

"Explanation of what?"

"How about we start by why were you drawing on the twins' faces?"

"Oh! I wasn't drawing Mommy, I was making Lucas look like a boy and Gracie look like a girl! I never know who's who so I think it's a good idea if we make them make ups!"

"But... You drew a mustache on Gracie..."

Sophia tapped her foot on the floor, highly disappointed, and her lips were already quivering with sadness. "See! I really can't see who's who, Mommy! I really can't, it's too hard!"

Parenthood dilemma n°476624589: how do you scold your daughter for drawing on the twins' faces when the reason behind it was obviously innocent, sort of justified and actually kind of cute. Brittany rubbed the bridge of her nose, waiting for the heavens to send her an effective action plan.

"Okay so..." she paused and bit her lip. "You won't get scolded at all because I understand why you did that but you must never draw on them, never ever, you understand? You must not draw on anyone actually, for the record. You can only draw on paper, boards, or whatever but not on people. Got it?"

"Yes Mommy, but... How can I know who's who then? I really don't recognize them..." Sophia admitted in a weak voice.

"I'll show you how to recognise them. When you really look at them, they're different. I'll show you I promise, but before that, we need to clean their faces before Mama finds out about this, okay? Because I can't promise that she won't punish you if she does find out..."

"No!" Sophia gasped.

"Drawing on them is bad and she won't like it."

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry, Mommy!"

"I know you are but that doesn't change the fact that we need to get the twins out of Mama's arms without her knowing..." Brittany explained biting her lip as the mission sounded risky as hell. "Here's the plan. You get the baby-wipes and I get the twins-"

"Okay!" Sophia nodded energetically, now fully on board with the mission.

"And be quiet! C'mon," Brittany said in a hushed whisper, opening the door.

Seeing the slaughter a second time was now more hilarious than dramatic. Lucas really did look like a prostitute, and Gracie had literally turned transsexual. Catlike, they crept in. Sophia grabbed the baby wipes on the changing table, holding herself on her tiptoes and immediately left the room once her crime had been committed. Brittany focused to find a way to catch the babies without Santana waking up. The babies were all tucked against her, safely warmed under a tight cover, and both Santana's arms were holding them close so they wouldn't slip. Praying to the Gods of Tetris, Brittany first pulled the cover, and then, tried to push Santana's arms out of the way.

To be honest, a bomb could have gone off and Santana wouldn't have even stirred. Only her inner love for the twins blocked her arms in a safe hold. But besides that, her entire body was limp and unconscious. Brittany was still unsure of how to carry both twins at the same time, even after a week. Their heads were fragile and tilting. But in all, she managed to slide her strong arms under their heads and kept them close, one after the other.

"Pull the cover back on Mama," she ordered whispering in Sophia's direction, the latter watching the scene with big eyes.

Sophia obeyed, tiptoeing once again and pulling a cover on her mother which was way too large for her alone. Santana readjusted herself in the chair, setting her daughter into a panic. Would she wake up, would she punish her? She feared the conclusion of this story, her whole body trembling. But all her mother did was lift the cover over her shoulders, sit on her side and snuggle with the padding of the chair. Sophia hurried to get out, not wishing to test her luck, and closed the door after her.

"It was close!" Sophia breathed out, relieved.

Brittany laughed and calmly headed to her room where a large bed and an attached bathroom would be convenient to erase the drama of the day. "Yeah... You can thank the twins for that because they kept waking us up last night. Mama and I are on our last legs," she admitted.

"Why don't you nap? Naps are cool!"

Brittany swallowed thickly. "Oh trust me, I know they're _cool." _ The word burned her tongue. Naps weren't cool, they were fucking amazing, perfection, resting paradizes, wonderlands of fluffiness maybe, but they weren't just... _cool._ "But I can't nap, I have too much stuff to do."

Overwhelmed, Brittany lead her daughter into the room and carefully put the babies in the middle of the large bed. Gracie was still lost to her dreams but Lucas started to whine. Without a word, Brittany grabbed the baby wipe and started to clean his face. Saying that he didn't like to be roughed up was an understatement. Brittany knew her baby by heart, she knew that if she kept cleaning him, they would meet the power of his lungs. But she was tired, her body was running out of fuel. She had no strength to endure crying alone, especially if his whining grew contagious and if he woke Gracie up. Exhausted, she put the baby wipes away and put pillows by Gracie's sides so the little girl wouldn't fall off the bed. She took Lucas in her arms and rocked him with gingerly, ceasing the crying before it had even started.

"I'm sorry, Mommy," Sophia apologized again as her mother's face showed how exhausted she was and how hard she was running out of options.

"It's okay... I just don't know how I'm gonna take this off of without any of them crying," she wondered out loud in a tired whisper.

Sophia said nothing, stared at her feet like the reverent and obedient girl she truly was. "Will Mama be really mad at me if you can't take it off?"

Brittany shrugged, despite the slow pace of her rocking. She expected her wife to go crazy but, in the meantime, she couldn't be sure. In the silence, an idea popped in her mind out of nowhere. "Actually Soph', I may have a solution to our problem," she admitted, smirking. The little girl's eyes shone in no time, expectant and willing to aid. "Go get my makeup in the bathroom, bring it here."

"Why?"

"You know what the only decent occasion to have this kind of makeup on is?"

"No," Sophia shook her head, thrilled to know.

"How about we make an impromptu carnival at home? Come on, you and I need makeup!"

- o -

Santana woke up with a jolet, feeling too warm and baby-less. She could hear distant cartoon sounds escaping from the living-room and naturally followed them through the hallways. She didn't expect what she found there at all. Over the sofa, she caught sight of the twins napping in their carrier seats placed carefully on the coffee table, mustache on Gracie, lipstick on Lucas. Was it her nap tricking her or had the twins had been transformed into human dolls? She rubbed her eyes but no, she wasn't dreaming. Perplexed, she turned around the sofa and found there, stretched out, Brittany with dozens of unsteady butterflies drawn all over her face and Sophia disguised as a clown, with shiny red lips and white skin.

In front of such a sight, Santana wanted to speak but nothing came out of her mouth. She attempted several times and ended up empty-handed. She kept tapping on her own lips, thoughtful, as Sophia stared, dreading her reaction. She left without a single word, a blank expression written all over her face.

"She's mad at me!" Sophia whispered shrilly, almost accusingly at her mother

"I wouldn't say that, she's not yelling at all! She's... Actually, I have no idea about how she feels," Brittany admitted.

"Go talk to her to find out!" Sophia pushed.

"No, no, she's probably gone to do something like, I don't know... to get cleaning pads maybe?"

The two of them didn't move at all from the sofa, they didn't dare to actually. Maybe they had woken up the monster lying in Santana, that Hydra ready to cut whoever was in her way, wife included. But nothing came. The house was silent.

Five minutes later, calm steps walked could be heard against the floor. Brittany shrunk in the sofa and Sophia cuddled her mother closer, fearing what would come next. How surprised were they when Santana took a seat by them with pirate makeup on her face.

Brittany laughed quietly so as not to wake the sleeping kids, tearing up at the sight before her. "You look cute-"

"First," Santana pointed, closing her eyes for impact. "I'm super angry that you decided to do some bonding time without me. This is not how mother/daughter bonding time should be. Baking brownies okay, but not when it's about dressing up. This stuff concerns the whole family and I love dress up, which you _know_, and yet you still decided to keep me out of this. I'm taking this as a personal attack."

"My lov-"

"I'm not finished! Secondly, what were you thinking?" she accused pointing at Gracie. "Like, you wanna give her a mustache, fine, but how in the world would you give a mustache without a monocle? Seriously?" she scolded as she took her eyeliner out of her pocket and drew a big monocle around Gracie's eye. The baby snuffled but remained blissfully unaware.

Brittany burst into laughter and Sophia finally relaxed thinking in all her four year old innocence that her moms were the coolest in the world.

"And thirdly, I'm the most badass of us all and I demand to be addressed to as Captain from now on. That's all," she stated coldly while crossing her arms and looking at the cartoon.

"Mama?" Sophia said quietly.

Santana said nothing, stared straight at the screen, crossed her legs and swayed her feet nervously.

"Mama?" She insisted a little louder.

"Say Captain," Brittany advised in a carrying whisper. Santana's lips twitched noticeably but she remained resolutely mute.

Sophia nodded. "Captain?"

"Yes, Bozo the sailor?" Santana answered with the determination pairing her character.

Sophia wasn't really sure about what she had just been called by her mom but, whatever, as long she was answering. "Can we bake brownies?"

Brittany poked her daughter. "The magic word, Soph'! And keep saying Captain."

"Oh right, sorry! Can we bake brownies, please, Captain?"

Santana stood up, looking regal and epic, looking proud over their heads. "As the Captain of this ship, I declare the urgent need to bake brownies so our crew can survive this long trip through the Ocean. Sailors, are you ready?" She solemnly asked, holding out her hand to be taken.

Giggling, Sophia stood up too and jumped up excitedly. She rushed to grab her mother's hand so they could leave for the kitchen together.

"Chocolate chunks or pecan nuts?" Santana fell out of character as she cooed down at her with loving eyes.

"Chunks! But... Mommies?" Sophia stopped dead in her tracks.

She flipped back and forth between them both, biting her lips. She glanced at Brittany, who had saved her ass instead of being punished, and glanced at Santana, who had respected her promise to be there for her once the twins were born. After all, a week after having welcomed them, life wasn't that bad. Maybe it was even better, because Sophia felt that her moms were trying their best to give Sophia some quality time each day. And the quality time kept getting even better day by day. She loved her life, even if she had to share her moms. Seeing them joking all the time was fun. Seeing Santana chase Brittany with a full and stinky diaper in her hand was fun. Hearing Brittany nickname Santana "human bottle" and hear the latter yell about it was fun. Seeing them mistaking salt and sugar because they hadn't got enough sleep and then spit their coffee out was fun. The twins were definitely a good addition to the house. They were worth the lack of hugs and games.

"I love you," she croaked in her high pitched voice, as though her heart would have exploded if she hadn't said it.

* * *

I am SO, SO, SO sorry for such a late update! Life has been hectic here: I started volunteering for a charity for marriage equality because France may allow gay people to marry very soon and I think it's important to fight for that! Then huge writer's block and betas on holidays. I hope you guys aren't too mad at me! *fingers crossed*

I hope you enjoyed the chapter anyway :)


	20. The Auction

Like every year, Brittany and Santana were there at the annual gala for Blaine and Sam's charity. In a rather small ball room - since the organization couldn't afford a bigger place - the crowd's eyes were riveted on the auctioneer making the bids raise behind a tall podium. Some sponsors had kindly offered items to sell, pieces of furniture, paintings, jewelry... anything that could raise money to help kids in need. Obviously, Brittany and Santana were amongst this group.

Shifting in their seats, Brittany and Santana anxiously waited for their lot to come, the final one of the whole auction. The fact that theirs came at the end wasn't innocent at all, it was the most striking collection. When the auctioneer had estimated it, he wrote the guessed value on a piece of paper and handed it to Blaine, Sam, Brittany and Santana. Such numbers couldn't be spoken out loud. Good thing Blaine and Sam had been sitting or they would've have fallen over. They had never seen so much money and what's more, they had never dealt with so much money. And it was only an estimation, the actual bid would obviously smash this already-gigantic price. Brittany and Santana however hadn't been too surprised. They had been perfectly aware of how much what they had given was worth.

"Last but not least... Lot number 54, a memory card from Mrs. and Mrs. Pierce. It includes five family pictures and a 15-minute video of Mrs. Santana Pierce being interviewed by spouse Mrs. Brittany Pierce. Let's see the items," the elegant man in a black suit announced loudly.

The lights were dimmed and a big white screen was being pulled down behind the podium. All bidders braced themselves, about to discover what they'd be bidding for.

"Don't crash it," the auctioneer kidded to the person plugging the memory card into a computer, under the shy laughs of the audience. Everyone giggled but Brittany and Santana, literally dying in their seats.

The first picture shone on the white screen. It was a rather traditional picture, Brittany and Santana sitting on a couch, each of them holding a baby, smiling wide.

"A picture of Mrs. Brittany Pierce holding son Lucas on her lap, and Mrs. Santana Pierce daughter Gracie on her lap. Next one please," the auctioneer directed.

Everywhere, people were chatting quietly, hiding under their palms what they would do with such pictures. Brittany peeked around and recognized all editors of every single magazine from whom they'd been refusing all offers with fierce determination. All the press knew what the Pierces had given up to auction, they just didn't know what the actual pictures would like or what the video might contain. The highest bidder would assure their magazine the greatest issue of the year, for sure. Probably the greatest issue of the decade to be honest. The video, even if they had no idea of what it actually was about, would make their website's stats explode, saving months of marketing to insure the said website's success. Anyhow, the winner would be one lucky bastard. They would have paid an insane price for it, but still, their company would be freaking lucky.

"Second is a picture of eldest daughter Sophia playing with the twins on a playmat," the auctioneer commented.

Throats tightened. This picture was gold. Sophia was crouching to shake a stuffed cat in front of her siblings' eyes and the twins were trying to catch it; it was literally... gold. People whispered agreeing on numbers of how much they could possibly afford. Brittany and Santana had never before agreed to publishing a picture of Sophia. All the magazines ever had had been blurry shots from the paparazzi. Now they had a very clear picture of a smiley and seemingly happy little girl. Brittany and Santana had decided to play fair with all their kids. They'd show nothing or they'd show the three of them. They had wanted, at all costs, to avoid privileging the twins over Sophia. Not that the idea of showing Sophia off too was thrilling, they had just wanted Sophia to feel as important as the twins.

"Third picture, eldest daughter Sophia playing with her dog, Gogo."

Chuckles escaped here and there. Sophia was being an angel in that one. She was looking straight at the camera, her marvelous blue eyes shining while holding in her arms the fluffy ball of fur she used as a dog. This was really sweet.

Sophia had actually chosen that one. When flicking through all their photos, Brittany and Santana had explained to Sophia what they were doing, that they had to give pictures of their family to help some kids in need. Sophia had looked at the four pictures her moms had chosen and pointed out one very disappointing fact, Gogo hadn't been on any of the pictures. They had told her to choose the one she wanted, and Sophia had picked the one she actually had in her own room, a picture of herself with her beloved puppy.

"Fourth picture, eldest daughter Sophia, twins Lucas and Gracie around a kitchen table under their mother Mrs. Brittany Pierce's watch."

Some surprised sighs gave the first reaction to the picture. The order of the pictures was driving the price of the lot insanely high. This picture looked like a real family photo, the Pierces in their everyday life. In the picture, probably taken by Santana herself, Sophia was still in her pajamas, eating her breakfast while the twins were sitting in high chairs. Brittany was bringing milk from the fridge with the same fond smile she had every single morning while setting the perfect breakfast table for her family. The magazines only needed the first picture of this set to reach their goals, for sure. The rest were like an excessive amount of icing on the cake.

"Fifth and last picture... Mrs. Santana Pierce and the three-day-old twins, in the hospital."

Some people whistled, some jaws fell on the ground. A few editors dried sweat on their foreheads, others scratched their heads. It was now clear, the bidding part would be a huge war. The room would turn into a battle field, with each call from the auctioneer for a higher bid like cannon balls that hit the ground. Some magazines were officially out of the competition. They just couldn't afford these pictures without putting the company in a very difficult financial position. Others discussed going well over budget, trying to reassure themselves with the benefits they'd gain from it.

They all stared at the screen, the picture of Santana holding their twins, one on each arm, with her makeup-free face and quite dark circles around her eyes despite her blessed smile, her post delivery bump very clearly showing under the covers, and most importantly, the still purple-skinned twins in their rather big onesies and small wool hats.

Considering how private Brittany and Santana had always been, these pictures were more a miracle than an excellent deal. The married couple's message was obvious: they would only give these pictures against a peace treaty. They were good pictures, heaven sent pictures actually, and people would have to be satisfied with this because they would never give more. They were offering a juicy deal with a great effort on their parts. None of paparazzi pictures could ever outdo these. The bidders had no choice, it was now or never.

"Next, please," the auctioneer called. "As a reminder, Mrs. and Mrs. Pierce are providing this in exchange for a contract which the winning bidder must agree on. They cannot not make any profit on the said video, it's for their own company's use only and in any case, the company is not permitted to sell it in or out of the country. They have made very clear that they'd take the company to court if this clause was to be violated. The photographs, however, are not bound this contract and consequently are permitted to be sold to other American or foreign companies."

Brittany and Santana stared at their shoes. They had added this very valuable bonus to their lot to sidetrack all the interview offers inundating their inbox on a daily basis. TV shows from all around the country were sending better offers every single day to get Santana to speak on TV about the twins, her past pregnancy, her family life and her comeback. And each offer made Santana feel sicker. The TV hosts would try to get as many details as possible, subjecting Santana to an inquisition. Santana kept declining the offers, though all too well aware of the fact they wouldn't stop until they'd get what they wanted.

Brittany had come up with the glorious idea. Why wouldn't she interview Santana herself? Do a simple "interview" at home, that would be much more like a random chat than a real interview with tons of makeup on her face and a tight dress for scrutinizing eyes to see if she had lost her extra pregnancy weight or not. In other words, everything Santana... absolutely _loved._ Brittany's idea was amazing. Santana had known that this way, she'd be "interviewed" with respect and love, that Brittany wouldn't grill her and wouldn't tackle the subjects she didn't like to talk about. This homemade interview was more to buy Santana's peace of mind than to make the media happy and rich. Nonetheless, the media were thrilled. They didn't know what the interview was about, but any kind of personal videos would be an extremely good deal, and it would make Santana's and Brittany's fans very happy. Even with the specific and clear contract they had offered in exchange of the video, it still would be juicy enough.

"Cell phones must be put away as, obviously, recording or photographing this video is strictly prohibited. Please be quiet, thank you," the auctioneer said as he stepped out from behind the podium so his shadow wouldn't show on the screen.

The room went dead silent within a second. Santana grabbed Brittany's hand and held it tightly under the table, as Sam, Blaine, and everyone else would watch the video nobody had ever seen before. Someone from the staff turned the lights completely off, forcing the whole audience into an intense concentration.

After a few seconds, the first image appeared and a "Holy shit" broke the silence. The auctioneer hushed and everybody tried to contain their words of insane surprise. Santana was lying in their bed, barely awake. She was lying on her side, makeup-free eyes looking down on the mattress. You could only see her face of course, her shoulder hidden under a loose nightgown slightly parted, the rest hidden by the covers on her hips, or the sea of cushions blocking the view of her chest and stomach. The whole scene was under the light of an early morning, all shadows still very dark and the light barely grazing Santana's features. Brittany was obviously filming from her own side of the bed, in a very intimate moment that promised to be one hell of a video. A very peaceful and well-composed video shot with the talent of an expert film director.

Brittany filmed for a few seconds the sheer silence surrounding Santana who was gazing tiredly at the cushions. A little hand stretched out, and immediately disappeared around a satisfied sigh. Santana chuckled, her smirk broadcasted on screen.

"_Little man is having a blast,"_ Brittany kidded, offering the first words of the video.

Santana giggled, _"Tell me about it, he's eating like... fierce."_

"Oh man..." someone let out, figuring the whole video would be about Santana nursing. The auctioneer hushed the crowd again as everyone around thought the same thing: some fans could kill to get to see these images. Once released, the video would cause a complete frenzy. The fans would be hysterical to see their idols in such an intimate moment, pro-breastfeeding organizations would use this to promote their own cause, the TV shows would go nuts figuring no interview could possibly outdo such a video. It was a sheer masterstroke from Santana.

"_Santana, how are you feeling today?" _Brittany started the interview with her usual light voice.

Santana raised a mocking eyebrow. "_Hm... How do I feel..."_ she wondered out loud. She turned her head a little to peek at the alarm clock right behind Brittany. _"It's barely 6 in the morning and I'm already on call. It could be worse though. Lucas could have woken up earlier than this. Huh baby, you had quite a great night this time!"_ she ended cooing in the hidden baby's direction.

"_Yeah, and Gracie's not even up yet,"_ Brittany insisted.

"_Right! It could definitely be worse_._ The house is still all quiet, that's nice,_" Santana softly chuckled.

"_Any thoughts you'd like to share before we start our little talk?"_ Brittany said, her voice tainted with some playful tone. She was obviously enjoying this little game.

"_About what?"_

"_I don't know, whatever you want!"_ Santana just pursed her lips, she actually had nothing to say at all on camera. That was Brittany's task to get her to talk and run a decent video.

"_You could have chosen a better moment to film this, but I guess it will do..."_

"_Oh, don't lie to me Santana, this is your favorite moment of the day,"_ Brittany tenderly laughed, love palpable all around.

Santana did her best to hide a smirk. The first feeding break of the day was her favorite. Her babies were softly waking up against her, starting the day with a great meal. More than anything, it was a very special moment to her. It also was the moment of the day when Santana was the most rested, hence she'd behave well on camera and would let herself do.

"_So, I have prepared a bunch of questions... By the way, first, I'd like to say that Santana is the one who decided to show herself nursing on camera, I'm not... perving on my wife." _Santana laughed. _"First question, why was showing yourself nursing important to you?"_

"_Hm..." _She gazed at Lucas eating with a fond smile. _"Like any other mom, I went on Google, I read a bunch of forums to get tips you know-"_

"_You've been trolling the internet without me?! I'm so mad at you."_

"_Hey! You're not nursing, you don't get a say on that one,_" Santana giggled. "_What was I saying... Oh yeah! So I was reading stuff online, and so many moms feel uncomfortable nursing in public and stuff, it's just... terrible! I mean, this is one of the things I love the most about being a mom. I wanted to give those doubting moms some support, that's it."_

"_But you never nurse in public, so you're not really supporting them,"_ Brittany commented. "_You're just showing you're pro-nursing with this video."_

Santana threw her wife a death stare, right in the camera's direction. She was enjoying her interviewer role a bit too much. _"I would do it if I could."_

"_Why can't you?"_

"_Well, it's not about me not feeling comfortable enough to do it outside, not at all. I'm just caring about my children. I don't want paparazzi to chase them in any case, especially not in the cool and relaxed moment like eating is supposed to be. I'd be nervous knowing we were being photographed, they'd feel it and they wouldn't eat calmly. So they'd get sick and I really don't want that," _she stroked the top of her baby's head, a gesture the audience had to guess since the baby tucked away behind the cushions. "_But if I had the same... quality of time outside than I have at home, I'd so do it."_

"_The same quality as right now?"_ Brittany said perfectly knowing how much pleasure Santana was getting at this exact moment.

"_Exactly,"_ Santana beamed._ "I really wanted to show myself like I really am. Like any other mom, looking terrible in the morning because this little devil decided sleeping 8 hours straight was no fun. It doesn't matter how much you have in your bank account, we are all in the same boat when you have kids. You're feeling tired even at 6 in the morning because you know how exhausting the day to come will be. Really, it's the same in every single household."_

"_One of the main arguments against breastfeeding is that some people think it's quite sexual and consequently, kind of incestuous. What are you thoughts about that?"_

Santana couldn't hold back a frank laugh. "_Bullshit! Dead serious, I'm everything but sexual right now... I mean, look at these dark circles," _she pointed at her eyes, _"I feel sweaty 'cause the twins woke me up five hours ago to feed them at the same time and I got super hot, because believe me, when you have two babies on you, the weather is suddenly very warm,"_ she kidded. _"Seriously, these kinds of comments are so lame, mothers shouldn't listen to them. People can think whatever they want, but it would never equal the happiness you get from nursing your kids."_

"_What does it feel like?"_

"_It's a very special bond you get with them, a great transition after carrying them for so long... For nine months they can't live without you. Then you deliver them and suddenly you feel so empty, as if you lost all the importance you had. It's a great way to learn how to let them go, because as long as you nurse them, they kinda need you. And then you start feeding them baby food, you nurse less and less... until the day they don't need you anymore. But it's alright because you lived everything you had to live with them and it was a great journey."_

"_Did you nurse Sophia too?"_

Santana froze a second. _"Why are you asking that? You know very well that I did."_

"_Yeah, I know but the viewers probably don't! Ha!"_ Brittany defended herself, pretty much stuck in a TV host role.

Santana laughed loudly at her wife's silly behavior. Lucas whimpered a bit, complaining.

"_Mama, don't laugh too loud, lemme eat!"_ Brittany joked in a baby voice.

"_Shhh..."_ Santana cooed towards Lucas, stroking him again and adjusting her position. _"There you go... Sorry sweetheart," _she played with his hand tenderly. Now you could see tiny fingers clenching one of hers over the cushions, adding some more sweetness to the scene. _"So, next question?"_

"_Is there anything else your fame is keeping you from doing?"_

"_You mean with the kids or alone?"_

"_Whatever."_

"_Hm..." _Santana bit her lip, thoughtful. _"I don't know..."_

"_Oh, I know what you would do,"_ Brittany teased.

Santana smiled wide, _"What would I do according to you?"_

"_You'd eat something really fattening, like dripping with cheese, laying in the sun right in the middle of a park,"_ Brittany laughed out. It was such a simple idea, yet all the magazines would be titling it like "10 seconds in the mouth, 10 years on her hips" or some other stupid comment.

"_Oh jeez, yes!" _Santana's eyes went wide._ "Like an enormous taco, oh my god... Well done Britt, now I really want a taco!"_

"_She loves food," _Brittany commented.

"_God knows I do..." _Santana shook her head knowingly.

"_You know what, we should do it. Like, today," _Brittany challenged.

Santana laughed, _"Today? Going to the park and get the paparazzi all cray-cray on my ass?!"_

"_Yup. Could be fun! Imagine their faces once they see this video."_

"_Okay deal, I'm born to be wild anyway."_

All editors looked at each other when Brittany and Santana obviously couldn't care less about the media's' opinion. Indeed, they had lately been photographed eating big burgers, just the two of them in a park without the kids, and the tabloids had added very smart comments, "Santana Lopez, not working on losing her extra pregnancy weight!" Some of editors who had released magazines with the nastiest comments coughed.

"_Okay, so..." _Brittany resumed._ "I forgot what were my next questions... Hold on, I'll just put that here and look for them."_ The camera moved a lot and it finally steadied when she left it on the cabinet, still recording Santana yet from a higher angle.

"_Where are you going?"_

"_I left my list of questions in the kitchen I think." _Brittany headed out, the blonde finally showing on screen as she passed the door right in the angle of the camera. She was in the same outfit as Santana, still in her nightclothes, obviously chilling fierce at home.

"_Britt, you make a terrible interviewer..."_

"_Oh shut it," _Brittany said from the hallway.

Giggling, Santana waited for Brittany to come back, focusing on Lucas. She almost forgot the camera was still rolling. She made baby sounds to entertain her son, like any other mom would. She commented every move Lucas was making, having a ball.

"_Are you finished, buddy?" _she adjusted their position again to see if he was indeed full. She chuckled when Lucas resumed sucking with renewed vigor.

"_Got 'em!"_ Brittany came back crunching on an apple. Santana turned her head to see her.

"_Oh, gimme a bite!" _she asked, now completely forgetting she was being recorded, being all relaxed and true to herself.

Brittany held the apple out and Santana took a big bite, her hands too busy with Lucas to grab it and eat it on her own. Brittany gazed for a second at her son, scrunching her nose playfully. She stood there, reading her list while biting into her apple.

"_Ha! I love this one! Santana, what do you think about the possibility for lesbians to conceive a child carrying their both genes thanks to Science?_" Brittany announced with great seriousness and conviction.

"_What the f...?!"_ Santana let out naturally.

"_You haven't heard about that? Scientists are now able to... how do I explain it... to sort of merge female eggs and erase the genes brought by the sperm. Consequently the baby really is from both lesbian parents."_

"_You're kidding, right?"_

"_No, I'm being serious! I read that in Science Magazine the other day."_

"_Since when you read that stuff?"_

"_I was updating myself on new technologies. Anyway, that's not the point Santana, answer the question!"_

"_Yeah but... The baby, I mean, is it safe to do that?" _she inquired looking up over her shoulder. _"Cause delivering a child is gore enough. You don't need an alien popping out of your vagina, you know."_

People in the audience laughed in reaction of how natural the video was.

"_They said there weren't any more deformity risks than any other babies," _Brittany said chewing.

"_Well, if it's safe, it's indeed seducing but... I don't know, I'd need to think about it first..."_

"_I'm not asking you to do it, I'm just asking for your opinion you know," _Brittany laughed. "_I don't know about you but I'm pretty fine with three kids, thank you my dear!" _Santana let go of Lucas's hand to poke her on the thigh. _"Ouch!"_

"_Don't make fun of me, it's friggin' 6, my brain isn't fully awake yet."_

"_Alright, alright..." _Brittany walked around the bed and disappeared from the camera's angle. The camera went all blurry when Brittany passed in front to lay back in the bed. She grabbed it back, centered back on Santana. _"And now the question that is burning everybody's lips, when can we expect you to be back on stage?"_

Santana giggled knowingly. _"My album is not finished yet."_

"_So you're getting back in business after your baby break?"_

"_Maybe..."_

Whistling throats expressed the importance of this major scoop.

"_What would your album about? What is your main inspiration to write? Or a theme perhaps?_"

Santana beamed at the camera. Actually, she beamed at Brittany, with shining eyes telling a story her wife had very well known. A huge silent break lasted, only animated by Santana's wide grin.

"_Yeah, I know what it would be about, but I'm not asking for me, remember. I'm interviewing you for your fans. Fans that are probably dying at the moment knowing you might return to the stage."_

"_I didn't mention any stage though. Just... business in general."_

"_Oh come on, Santana!" Brittany laughed from the bottom of her heart. "We all know that if you produce an album, you're gonna be dying to get back on stage."_

"_So untrue," Santana teased._

"_You know, like spotlights, screaming, crazy fans..." Brittany counted off with a tempting tone._

_Santana rolled her eyes with a smirk. "We'll see! I said maybe, and maybe just means maybe-"_ Lucas whimpered loudly, immediately stopping Santana's train of thought. _"Look at him..." _she sang, obviously melting.

The camera moved unsteadily as Brittany peeked, away from the shooting angle. She chuckled, _"If only they could see that..."_

"_Show them."_

"_Really?"_

"_Yeah! He's cute..."_

"_Alright then!"_

Brittany centered the camera on her son, filming from above. You couldn't actually see much, Lucas had his arm on Santana's breast, blocking the view from any curious minds. His little hand was clutching her skin, he was not going to let his Mama go anywhere. All you could hear was little happy whimpers and a symphony of sucking sounds and deep breathing. His eyelids were fluttering, testifying an intense joy. He buried his head in Santana's reassuring skin out of sheer satisfaction, making both women melt. Brittany pulled the camera away, leaving them alone in their bubble. She filmed Santana gazing, red cheeks despite the tired eyes and her lips pursing in happiness.

"_He has great appetite this morning, that's cool!"_

"_Yeah, I don't think it's gonna be a tough day today..." _Santana smiled. Lucas let out another satisfied whimper, he sighed loudly_._

"_Lazy day ahead, me likey!" _Brittany laughed. Lucas started babbling gleefully.

"_Mister Lucas had enough, Mister Lucas wants to talk now," _Santana joked.

Santana closed her gown discreetly and went to grab her baby resting on the mattress. She straightened up in the bed, sat comfortably against the bed's head and put Lucas on her lap. She stroked his back to help him recover from an intense feeding session. The pretty baby was utterly satisfied, almost too full, in his own paradise. He sat dazed, his stomach was way too happy. He needed time to come back from such a load of pleasure. He stared at Brittany and the camera, chattering joyful sounds.

"_Little man, would you like to share your thoughts with the fans and media?"_ Brittany kidded, pulling the camera closer. Lucas smashed it, barely strong enough to make Brittany lose the balance ot it. Both moms burst out laughing.

"_I think the message's pretty clear..."_ Santana commented, letting her chuckles die.

"_Look at this happy boy..." _Brittany cooed as she filmed the best close-up people would ever get of their baby. The image was sheer tenderness, a blessed baby chilling against Santana's gown. "_He's no fool, he knows milk is much tastier than formula!" _she kidded.

"_Oh! That's one massive argument against those who believe breastfeeding is gross. Have you ever smelled formula? It smells terrible!"_

Brittany laughed, _"Yeah, the other day Santana was a little sick so she couldn't really feed the kids. So I made them bottles, and gosh, I understand that some parents don't really have the choice in all but formula doesn't really give a reassuring image of what the world is!"_

"_A stinky sticky world, yeah," _Santana joked. Baby sounds escaped from a baby monitor on a cabinet. _"Oh, the other half of this set is awake!"_

"_I'm gonna get her-"_

"_You know what, come with the camera!"_ Santana suggested.

"_Are you sure?"_

"_Yeah!"_ Santana let out all happy. _"Come!"_

She carefully started to stand up holding Lucas close not to rock him too much and headed out of the room. Brittany soon followed, turning their "interview" into some sort of fluffy Blair Witch project at their house. She filmed Santana walking in ahead of her in the direction of the twins' room. She tried not to show too much of their home, filming very closely. Gracie was starting to actually cry, and her big tears echoed in the hallway.

"_She must have had a nightmare..." _Brittany worried out loud.

Santana opened the door and Gracie's cries filled the air in shrill sounds. She turned around to give Lucas to Brittany. They switched, making the camera tremble for a while.

"_Good morning mi'ja! Oh... these really are puffy eyes! My poor little girl..._" Santana sang as she bent in the cradle to grab her. The little girl dried her tears against her Mama's shoulder while Santana softly stroked her back to calm her down. _"Shh... It's alright, we're here now... Shh..."_

She rocked her slowly for a while and kept stroking as tenderly as she could.

"_Look Mommy, she got so scared!"_ Santana emphasized while showing Gracie better to the camera.

Brittany chuckled compassionately. "_Oh baby... That was a really bad nightmare..._" She brought the camera closer, filming Gracie letting her cries die right against Santana's chest with a very cute pout shaken by whimpers. "_She doesn't like when she wakes up and Lucas is not around. They always need to stick together, it's insane,"_ Brittany explained.

Just then they heard a loud thump in the hallway, making the moms look in the door's direction and Brittany turned the camera over the gesture.

"_You alright, baby?"_ Santana called. _"You stumbled on your cuddly blanket... again?"_

Nothing came within the first seconds. Brittany and Santana shared a look. And suddenly, after the amount of time Sophia's blurry waking mind had needed to assimilate the pain, their eldest daughter started to cry.

"_Ye-...eee...eessss,"_ Sophia complained crying.

The little girl came to the door, with a pout matching her sister's and dragging her cuddly blanket on the ground carelessly. She wasn't really hurt, she was just having a rough wake-up. It was actually pretty cute to see her all roughed up like this, with her sadly pursing lips and her insanely messy hair. Santana couldn't hold a sweet giggle.

"_Oh man..." _Brittany let out in a compassionate tone. She turned the camera to speak to it. _"Guys, I think we're gonna cut now, our parental duties are calling us!"_

"_Say goodbye Gracie,"_ Santana cooed in the background. Brittany centered the camera back on the baby in her wife's arms. Santana grabbed her hand, and made it shake as if Gracie were saying goodbye. _"Bye bye!"_

And that was the last image. The room was completely quiet, the silence speaking volumes. If people could guess approximately how much the pictures were worth, they had no clue about how much..._ this_ would cost. Someone turned the lights on, giving a clear view of every bidders' cold sweats dripping from their foreheads.

"We're out, we can't afford that," one rational magazine editor said on their left, "Call the CEO, we can't make this kind of decision alone," they heard on their right. Low masses were happening everywhere while the auctioneer went to take his position back at the desk.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please be quiet," he called over the chattering crowd.

"Thank you guys," Blaine kindly repeated, for the hundredth time, tapping on Brittany's shoulder. "It really means a lot to us."

The bidding hadn't even started yet but it was obvious the charity was about to collect a lot of money. That was Blaine's main thought, all he wanted was to collect as much as possible to help the kids. However, the only estimation of the lot was already way more than he could have possibly dreamed of. He had wondered what the charity could do. He had already thought about buying a building, a huge building that could be a shelter for countless children in need. Building a safe place with money gained from love-it sounded like a very nice cycle, a respectful way to honor the generous Pierce's donation.

All magazines editors were already working on headlines in their minds. "Intimate with the Pierce's" for Time magazine, "World Exclusive! Santana Lopez shares about pregnancy, children, career: "Delivering is gore!" Santana said," for OK! magazine. They were all craving for it.

Brittany smiled back at Blaine. "Let's see how much it gets!"

"We'll now proceed to the bidding of the said Lot #54. Considering Angelina and Brad Pitt's twins' pictures were sold for $14 million, we're starting the bidding at $10 million," the auctioneer said as he grabbed his gavel and everyone around readied their signs engraved with their bidder's number. "And... $10 million, one time!"

The auction officially started. In a sheer silence, the numbers the auctioneer was splitting loudly seemed like raining in the room. Brittany nervously shook her leg, biting her nails. Santana however stared at the crowd all around to see who was bidding. A good dozen of signs kept appearing and disappearing in no time, the auctioneer pointing at them each time to acknowledge them he had seen them.

"800,000... 900,000... and $14 million!"

The audience's throats tightened. Of course they'd reach the price of the most expensive pictures ever. However, the very small amount of time it had taken to get there was just ridiculously insane. The bidders were all fighting hard in a polite silence, willing to put their companies in a very tough financial position if it meant having those pictures.

"$14,100,000... 200,000... 300,000... 400,000..."

Sam leaned on the table. All these numbers made him dizzy. All the charity needed was the $10 million to buy the huge building Blaine and Sam had been dreaming of.

"And... $17 million for the gentleman in the blue suit!" the auctioneer announced.

Santana peeked, the bidder had been from OK! magazine. She cringed her nose, she hated that magazine.

"$17,100,000... 200,000..."

There were less and less signs appearing. Only five, maybe six, still fighting against each other. Santana looked back at Brittany, hearing people bid the price of their babies' heads over and over again. Good thing they were doing it for a good cause and to buy their own peace of mind, because these numbers were making her feel sick. In old times, pricing someone like that meaning you were buying a good, capable slave for your own business. Some very wealthy white people buying someone so they didn't have put their own hands in the dirt. Santana sighed. When she had dreamed of being famous, during her sweet childhood, she had never guessed that someday, she'd be this famous; that she'd turn into the slave of the celebrity machine, forced to obey to marketing rules to get the easiest life possible. She had still hard time realizing this frenzy was real, very much alive. She loved her job, she adored her fans and the music obviously. She was addicted to the adrenaline of it. But she had known about everything it implied, she'd probably have downplay a little when her fame had started to actually explode years ago. But now the damage was done, she and Brittany had to deal with it.

"$18 million!" the auctioneer let out loudly.

The audience gasped, Blaine and Sam as well. The two men were just sitting there, dumbfounded. This bidding was just breathtaking. Brittany and Santana kept taking the rise in price with a neutral expression. Some bidders stepped out to stand closer to the room's walls, giving up and wanting to quit the auction as soon as possible. It was way too stressing.

"$18,100,000?" he called.

The auctioneer looked at the man in the blue suit, who shook his head as a no. His company just couldn't afford anymore.

"$18,100,000 anyone?"

A man holding a phone gave the auctioneer a sign ordering him to wait. Brittany and Santana shared a look, they had no idea who he was or what company he was representing. He looked rather old, not like a newly hired director at all, and they knew almost everybody in the industry.

"Do we have $18,100,000 on the phone?"

The man nodded. The bidder of the $18 million hit, a well dressed man with a red tie Brittany had recognized as one of Time magazine's directors, made a sign as well, rising the price even more.

"$18,200,000!"

The man on the phone came closer to the auctioneer's podium and made a sign to the auctioneer assistant to come to him. He told her something in the ear and the pretty girl skipped back to her boss, whispering to him the message. The auctioneer raised his eyebrow, surprised.

"We have $19,000,000 on the phone, $19,100,000 anyone?"

A few not-so-polite dumbfounded words escaped some mouths. The crowd was now witnessing a bloody duel. Whatever company this unknown man was representing, it was obvious that they were out to win the bid. Very focused, the man kept whispering on the phone. The red tie's man nodded when the auctioneer called for the next offer.

"We have $19,100,00! Do we have $19,200,000 in the room?"

The man on the phone called the assistant again. She came back to her boss, whispered again.

"$19,500,000 on the phone!"

The audience reacted at the man bidding aggressively almost yelling. People chatted everywhere trying to find out who that man was and who he was bidding for. The auctioneer looked at the other bidder, waiting for an red tie man scratched his forehead, staring at his feet. All over his face was written the terrible debate happening in his mind. After long seconds, he nodded.

"$19,600,000!"

The crowd was now on fire. People shouted, all turning on their phones to text the news, tweet it, mail it, everything they could. The moms just died in their seats, living in a sheer hell at the moment. They just merged with their seats, while Sam and Blaine had just stopped breathing a good ten minutes ago.

The man on the phone nodded again. He whispered again on the line, probably trying to find solution to beat the hard opponent bidder.

"$19,700,000! 800,000?" the auctioneer asked in the red tie man's direction.

The man was obviously in pain. His foot was drumming on the ground, his hairline dripping in sweat. His inner debate seemed to never end.

"750,000?" the auctioneer offered. He nodded.

"$19,750,000!"

The man on the phone called the assistant. When the auctioneer was being told the message, his shoulders fell a little.

"We have $20 million on the phone," he announced eyes riveted on the red tie man who this time... declined.

He banged his gavel loudly on the podium. "Lot #54 auctioned for $20 million. Congratulations Sir..."

The crowd applauded at what was the bidding war of the decade in the medias industry. Brittany looked at Santana, her eyes telling a story. That was it, their twins were worth $10 million each. To her, her babies were not estimable, they were miracles. You couldn't buy miracles... She reassured herself thinking that was just pictures and videos, not actually them. But still, her heart ached a little.


End file.
